Winterspell
by Mystletainn
Summary: A Glaceon woke up in the morning like he does every day in his cave up in the mountain. But how different will this day be when he hears a cry of distress outside? And could he ever have predicted the chain of events that would happen as a result?
1. Blizzard

Hello everyone, I'm back to write my second fanfiction! First off, two things. One, sorry to sound annoying, but I have a lot of views on my first fanfiction, The Strength To Go On, but only one review for the last chapter. If you've read the fanfiction, I'd like if you could review it and the story as a whole. If you haven't read it, go ahead! Okay, and second, I'm sorry if this one is not updated nearly as quickly as the first. This time of the year is EXTREMELY busy for me. All of the activities going on leave me with only Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons for free time. It blows. Regardless of that, I still have plenty of ideas, just not so much time to write and develop them. Anyway, here it is! Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 1: Blizzard**

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I awoke to the sound of the howling winds outside my cave. It was windy out. I winced. That would be annoying when I went outside. I yawned, stretching my back as I got up and walked over to the mouth of the cave.

It's quite a magnificent sight. That's why I loved my cave. It had a great view as it was right on the mountainside, and you could stand near the edge and see the entirety of this side of the mountain.

That is, on a clear day. That wasn't the case today. Winter was here, and up on the mountain, it was not a pretty season. The snow was blowing fast enough that vision was really limited. I had to eat at some point, though, so I guess at some point I'd have to brace myself and go out there to find some food.

You'd think that a mountain wouldn't have much food available, and you'd be right. But it isn't as scarce as some think. You just have to know the place. I personally couldn't bear to kill another Pokemon for food. I'm not really a predatory type, you see. There's Weavile, Beartic, and quite a few others that I have to look out for. Then you have species like the Piloswine and Snover who only eat plants and berries. I fit into the second category, since I'm a Glaceon. I'm quite the rarity around here based on my experience, and I've never seen another Glaceon besides myself. There's a whole world of Pokemon on this mountain, and I'm always finding Pokemon that I haven't met before. Most of the time, we merely nod our heads, recognizing the other before moving on. Sometimes we converse and talk to each other before leaving. I enjoy the friendlier experiences. Then there are the bad ones… I still have a scar from when I escaped a group of Weavile. And then one time I had with a Froslass… I don't want to talk about that one. She still scares me in my sleep.

Now, enough about the other species. The plantlife on the mountain itself is quite intriguing as well. There's a bunch of berries that I didn't think could exist up here. There's an abundance of Aspear berries, which were a given, but there were also some Babiri, Sitrus, and Nanab berries, as well as one patch of Cheri berries. I don't really like those. Spiciness isn't my preference. But what was… oh… I could still drool at the thought of the Custap berries I found one day. So sweet…

Umm, excuse me, sorry for that. Now, as I was saying, I wasn't really looking forward to going out in that harsh, cold weather, even as an Ice-type. My stomach could wait for a few more hours. So I went back to sleep.

Time isn't too easy to keep track of when the sun isn't out, which it wasn't today. The gray clouds covered the whole sky, showering the region with endless snow. I didn't mind the snow at all. It was the wind that went right past my fur. Besides it being really cold, the snow gets to be a vision hazard, and I can't see too far ahead of where I'm going when I do go out on the mountain. Thankfully, my species has the Snow Cloak ability, which lets me hide quite easily from predators when I'm out and about.

But anyway, I did wake up what seemed to be a few hours later. I lazily moved back over to the mouth of the cave, figuring I might as well gather some berries for the rest of the day. It was a quiet life, living up on a mountain in the winter. Not that I didn't mind. I'd rather stay in my cave for the whole day simply musing about life than be constantly on the run from danger. I was about to head down, still a bit tired from just waking up, when I heard something. Now, hearing _anything_ is cause for pausing and looking for the source of it. At least, that's the case during a harsh winter storm. So, I didn't really think it'd be anything out of the ordinary. As I hopped down the mountainside, I made a mental note in my mind to be on the lookout when I reached the nearby forest.

Yes, there is a forest on this mountain. These trees are all Evergreens, otherwise it'd just be a bunch of bare trees and no leaves, looking like a wasteland. It's quite lovely, having an abundance of plant life in the area instead of just stone, ice, and the occasional berry plant. But as I reached the forest, I heard it again. The same cry from a Pokemon. This time, I heard it much clearer, so I assumed it was close. But it wasn't from any species I'd heard before. I shrugged. That wasn't too unusual. Just a few days ago, I learned of an Ursaring and its family living in the forest area. I milled about, more interested in the Pokemon than the berries, because I could get those at any moment. Finding an Aspear plant, I plucked one of the berries off and popped it into my mouth as I walked along. They always helped keep me warmer.

But then I heard it again. It was the same voice, with one key difference. It was in Pokespeak, not just the cry of the species.

"Help me…"

I froze. "Aww hell…" I mumbled. Not good. I had to play hero again? Last time I did that, I had rescued a Snover who had somehow enraged a Primeape. That wasn't fun. I looked around frantically, trying to locate the Pokemon. The fact that I heard it rather clearly meant two things. It was nearby, and it could have been heard by anyone else in the area, friendly or otherwise. And it was in trouble.

I couldn't use up too much energy by sprinting, but I did go at a quick walking pace. Luckily, I didn't meet up with any predators. If they had heard the voice, they'd be after that Pokemon too. Which meant that even they had the sense to stay in their shelter during this bad weather until it calmed down. I had gone out because I knew that not many others would, and I had a lot lower chance of competing with others for food, but now that had turned into me being the sole Pokemon around who could help this other in need.

And I was completely not expecting it to be what it was. Not at all.

It was a lithe, feline creature lying in the snow. It had smooth, pink fur, a gem in its forehead, and a tail that split into two near the end. And it looked to be unconscious. I had only ever heard of it, but I had bothered to learn about it, not because it was in the mountain biome. No, it looked to be quite out of its natural habitat. Come to think of it, I didn't know what kind of place it lived in. But I had learned about it solely because it just so happened to be in my evolutionary line. An Espeon.

Up here on the mountain? What the heck? It didn't make sense… but there was no time for that. It was out cold, no pun intended. That could be a dangerous thing. I had no idea how long it had been out in this weather, but I knew that it fell unconscious only recently, since it had called out not too long ago. Disregarding any thoughts of food, I picked up the Pokemon and carried it on my back all the way to my cave. That was a very tiring effort too, but thankfully the Espeon was not that heavy. I set it down closer to the back of the cave. I had no real bedding, since the mountain didn't really have anything for it, unless you were a fan of cold dirt. I wasn't, and with fur like that, I'm sure the Espeon wouldn't like it either.

It was really odd, seeing an Espeon up here on the mountain. I had so many questions, but it was still unconscious. So I just sat nearby, watching over it as I listened to the wind whistle by, waiting for it to wake up.

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Hope you enjoyed! Review, please. Not much else to say here that I didn't already, so I'll see you all next time!


	2. First Impressions

Hello, everyone! Glad to see that this fanfiction is getting attention right off that bat. I have a few things to address:

A thank-you to tinyRyan117 for the compliment!

AzureBlueEspeon, you'll find out where I'm going with this, silly. :)

Caltrop mentioned me switching between tenses. I have a reasoning behind this. The story is being narrated by Glaceon in first-person view. As he is telling the story, there are things that happened already, and those are in the past tense, as will most of the story. Descriptions and such would still be true, so they are spoken in the present tense. There will be much less of the present tense now that most of the descriptions are out of the way. Some other descriptions are what Glaceon is thinking at the time, so those are also in the past tense, just in case I'm confusing you even more.

I've already answered Funnyach's review via PM, but I'll repeat it again. There are several kinds of berries that do grow in cold climates, so I figured I could apply them to Pokemon as well. Most choices were arbitrary aside from Aspear berries, as those cure the Frozen status.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and stick with me! Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

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I had been laying down in my cave for quite some time now. The Pokemon I had rescued was still down and out. I couldn't tell if it was still unconscious or if that had reverted to sleep at some point. I wasn't really interested in finding out, since it wasn't moving regardless. Sure, I had checked over it. It had a pulse, and was still breathing, albeit faintly. It probably wasn't used to higher elevations, either. I couldn't go out and get some berries, just in case it woke up.

So here I was. It was still really intriguing, seeing an Espeon up in the cold, snowy mountains. That would come later, when it woke up. Well, I've been referring to the Espeon as an 'it' for a while. I didn't want to invade any privacy by moving it and checking. That would be rude, besides the fact that it would be extremely embarrassing if it woke up when I was doing so. And so that small question would have to wait like most of the others. Save it for when the Espeon woke up.

I had nothing better to do, except maybe go out and stock up on food, but I couldn't really leave the cave at a time like this. I don't know if it was just curiosity or simply the spur of the moment, but my eyes rested on the Espeon, checking it out. I hadn't seen one before today, even though I made the point of learning about it from the sacred protector of our mountain, Articuno. But that journey is a story for another time. The Espeon's fur, aside from being matted with snow in some places, was quite well-cared for. The tail was a unique feature, splitting off into two partway down. And the gem it its forehead… I supposed that it was a part of the Psychic powers of the species, similar to Golduck. Not much seemed out of place about it, if you disregarded the fact that it was unconscious and on a mountain.

And I was inspecting it for quite a long time, apparently, for the Espeon's eyes opened, meeting mine immediately. I quickly looked away, not wanting to seem like I was being rude. A quick glance at the mouth of the cave showed that it was late in the afternoon already, since the gray sky was slightly lighter on the right half of the entrance, which was the west side. I had spent that long watching the Espeon? My attention returned to it as I heard it say something.

"…who are you?"

Definitely a female. I could tell from the voice. I turned my head back to look at her. Her and those eyes. There was a whole mix of emotions in them, and I couldn't pick out anything. Plus, it felt like they were penetrating deep into my body. Suddenly, I felt unwilling to share information with this newcomer, who really was just a stranger that I had happened to rescue. I turned my head away again, not quite able to hold eye contact with her for long. "I'm a Glaceon. Does my name matter to you?" I mentally slapped myself after hearing myself speak. I didn't want to come across as a jerk.

The Espeon just continued looking at me. I could feel it. "Well, the last thing I remember was passing out in the snow in a forest. I can only assume you were the one who rescued me." I blushed. The tone in her voice was grateful, factual, and had a hint of teasing in it all at the same time. Why was I so disarmed by this?

Still looking away, I resumed talking. "Yes, I was… I was gathering some food when I heard someone call for help, so I started looking, and there you were." I figured it was time to start questioning her. "But what is an Espeon doing up here on the mountain?"

I had forgotten that she had a sense of privacy, too. I don't know why I was so confused trying to talk to this Pokemon, and it didn't help when she spoke again. "I don't really want to talk about that right now… but you still haven't answered my question. I'd at least like to know the name of the one who saved me."

I looked back at her, slightly irritated that she was so persistent, but then I met her eyes again. Crap. They had a bit of a hurt look to them with some depression, but yet she still had that teasing look, as if silently mocking my ignorance at common logic of introductions. I gave up. "The name's Gale."

The Espeon finally smiled. "That's better. I'm Ria." Her tail flicked around as she paused, likely considering what to say next. She looked around. "So, Gale, this is your home?"

I shrugged. "Where else would we be?" I could tell she was just trying to make conversation. It was kind of an awkward situation as a whole. I didn't mind so much.

Ria looked back at me and sighed. "I don't know…" She touched the cave floor, as if inspecting it, before starting to look around again. "But if it is, couldn't you make it… a bit more like a home?" Her gaze moved back to meet my eyes. I was still unable to stop watching her. "It's a bit barren."

I sighed, dropping my gaze to the ground at last. The mention of that got me all depressed. "That's the way things are around here… there's not much to be had anywhere." I rested my head on the ground, closing my eyes. "Not even bedding, unless you happen to like cold dirt. But it's alright. This place is good enough for me."

My eyes were still closed as I heard the sound of giggling. I opened them as I raised my head only to see that she was now standing over me, staring into my face. "Modest, aren't you?"

I tried to hide the fact that I was blushing at her being so close all of a sudden, but it didn't work very well. "Feeling better already?"

Upon hearing that, she promptly laid back down on the ground, right next to me. Her fur felt so soft! However, it didn't feel warm at all. That shouldn't be a surprise. She looked away, much to my relief. "To be honest, no. I still feel really cold and tired." She sighed, and I never wanted to hear that sound again. It sounded so depressing that I wanted to do whatever I could to fix that. But just then, my stomach growled. Ria giggled again. "That reminds me, I haven't eaten in a while. But it looks like you're hungry, too."

I smirked. "Are you a fan of berries?" She nodded. "Well then, I suppose I should go out and get some." I paused, for two reasons. "Two things, do you have a preference for anything in particular?"

She shook her head. "I've never really been a picky eater. I take what I can get." Her tail flicked back and forth at the prospect of food.

Her response was intriguing. It made me consider her past again, but that could come later, I suppose. "Alright, that's a plus. Second, how well can you fight?"

Judging by her initial reaction, she was not expecting that question. Her entire demeanor seemed to back away from me, even though she was still resting against my body for warmth. "I can use psychic powers quite well, but I'm tired right now… why do you ask?" There was a tinge of fear in her voice. I hated that I wouldn't be able to relieve that feeling, but worse, possibly make that fear grow.

I smiled as warmly as I could, trying to reassure her. "Just a backup in case of intruders… you never know what you'll find out here in this climate. I don't want you meeting with any predators, something I've had the misfortune of doing. Thankfully, this cave is quite the ways up from the forest, plus it's hard to spot through the snow. You should be fine, but I wanted to make sure you weren't helpless."

I started to get up, but I was stopped by Ria muttering something quietly. I had to concentrate hard to hear it. "You live a dangerous life, don't you, Gale." I froze as she reached up a paw and stroked the scar along my side. It wouldn't have surprised me that she saw it through my fur, since we were laying there for a while. "…what happened here?"

I merely looked away. I did not, by any means, want to relive that day when I was almost killed. Luckily, I had escaped with my life and a massive, bleeding gash, alongside several minor cuts and scrapes that did not scar. "You didn't want to tell me why you're up here. Surely you can understand if I don't want to talk about this one." My voice was barely a whisper. I didn't want to start crying in front of her. The trauma was terrible, but I stifled it for now.

I did look back at her, only to be greeted by another piercing stare. This time, her eyes only carried an apologetic and ashamed look. "I'm sorry…"

I gave a faint smile. "It's fine… perhaps sometime in the future." I stretched before turning back to the mouth of the cave. "I'll be back soon. Stay safe."

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As I trotted down the mountainside, I noticed that the sky was growing darker. Was it that late already? I shrugged it off and I arrived at the forest. Luckily, nothing out the ordinary happened, and I gathered some berries without much issue. A bunch of the abundant Aspear berries, several Sitrus berries, and a couple of Nanab berries. A decent haul. I brought them back up to the cave, where I saw Ria resting near the back on the ground.

As I entered, she jolted upright, immediately calming down as she saw who had entered. "Oh… you scared me for a second there."

I smirked, walking over to her as I set the berries down. "Sorry that you had to know about the predators, but I can't be risky, not in this place."

Ria smiled. "No, I understand… but thanks for bringing food. To be honest, I'm starving." I noticed her eyeing the berries lustily.

I smiled as well. "That's something that's unfortunately common around here, especially for the carnivores. But don't eat too much, you'll overstuff yourself. If you haven't eaten in a while, your stomach's not going to be able to keep a large meal." I gathered some Aspear berries and a few Sitrus berries, pushing them towards her. "The Aspear berries will help keep you warmer, so I'd have some of those if I were you." I took a bite out of a Nanab berry myself.

She smiled warmly, again catching my eyes and projecting her gratitude into my own eyes more than I needed. Not that I minded. "Thanks!" I just nodded and we ate in silence. During those moments, something triggered in my mind. I'm still not quite sure of what it was. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was likely when that I realized that our sticking together due to circumstances could grow into something more.

We still had quite a few berries left. "Ria, we should probably save those for the morning."

She nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it'd be a good idea." She yawned, and, as I was watching her, I did so too. "Wanna get some rest?"

I just smiled at her, lying down in my usual spot near the back of the cave. I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was, when she came over and laid down right next to me, snuggling up to my side. I just looked at her for a few seconds before resting my head on my paws and closed my eyes. It had certainly been an interesting day.

It wasn't long before we fell asleep together.

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Alright, here we are! These times are really busy for me, so I don't really know when I'll have time to write. Just a little heads-up in case I don't update the story in a while. Anyway, thanks for reading. Reviews, please! And I'll see you all next time. Peace~


	3. The Hunt

Hello again, everyone. I'm sorry for the wait, but schoolwork along with all of my extracurricular activities is still bogging me down. I have mid-winter break coming up next week, so I'll be doing better then.

A thank-you to Trherring, tinyRyan117, Haddi, and azureblueespeon for the kind words! Ninjaguykasa, it may seem like I'm rushing things, but that's because this isn't meant to be an overly long fanfiction anyway. The next one I'll write after this one is done will be much longer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 3: The Hunt**

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I awoke in the morning to find Ria still asleep. It was not lost on me that her tail had curled around my body. Shifting my head, I looked out the cave entrance. The snow had stopped! The storm was over, for now. That was excellent news for me, since the dreary gray clouds were growing dull with its endless spell of unceasing, relentless snow.

But still, I could see the sun shining on the east side. It was morning, and we should probably get up. I nudged Ria. "Hey…"

The Espeon shifted in her sleep for a few moments before slowly opening her eyes. Once she spotted me, to my surprise, she jolted awake with a gasp and backed away from me. It took a few more moments before she settled down. "Oh, sorry Gale… I just had a bad dream, that's all," she said sheepishly.

I cocked my head. "How so? You can tell me about it…"

Ria shook her head. "I'd rather not… it's about my past."

Hearing that, I got up, stretching and yawning before walking over to her. "Considering you've been living in my cave, and quite content with it, I'd at least like to get to know who I'm dealing with, if you don't mind."

At this, Ria looked down. She began pacing. I didn't mind, since that meant she was thinking and not outright declining already. In the meantime, I walked over to the leftover stash of berries from last night. "That's alright, take your time. Would you like some breakfast in the meantime?" I popped an Aspear berry into my mouth.

Ria shrugged and walked over to where I was. "I guess so." She laid down again, munching on an Oran berry. And so we ate in silence for a while. The berries were certainly refreshing in the morning, especially knowing that we could go outside today, unhampered by the weather.

It came out of the blue. She was still in the middle of eating a berry when she spoke up. "I belonged to a trainer."

I nearly choked on my own berry. "Wait, what?"

She put down her own berry, obviously preparing herself for a long conversation. "Yes. I used to be owned by a human. He's a terrible person, treating all of us like crap. The sad thing is, the rest of them don't care. They like beating up other Pokemon for fun. He battled everyone he could find, both other trainers and wild Pokemon. I hated it."

I had stopped eating as well. "I've never met a human so I wouldn't know. Is that how all of them are?"

Ria shook her head. "Many of the humans my trainer battled against looked and acted like they took great care of their Pokemon. It seems I got stuck with the bottom of the barrel." I motioned for her to continue her story. "So anyway, we were traveling through the mountains to get by them. As usual, we hadn't had much rest in a while. The snow was really heavy, and so was the wind. A pile of snow on an overhead cliff fell off and onto our group, and in the confusion, I just decided to make a break for it through the pile. I used Psychic to grab my Pokeball, of course. On the other side, there was a craggy pass, so I just kept going. I destroyed the Pokeball when I thought I was safe from him, but then I didn't see any Pokemon in forever, even when I had come to a forest. My legs simply gave out after a while." She blushed slightly. "I have you to thank for getting to me in time before I froze."

I sat back, dazed at the audacity that this Espeon in front of me had. Then I started snickering. "No sane Pokemon that lives up here on the mountain will stay out in a snowstorm like that. I only happened to be getting my entire food for the day, at the time."

Ria nodded. "I figured as much, but it was too late and I had already collapsed. My last thought before I fell unconscious was that it was pretty stupid, running away on a mountain during a snowstorm." She paused, popping the rest of the berry in her mouth. "But I didn't want to tell you about it, because I didn't know how wild Pokemon would react to knowing they were interacting with a trainer's Pokemon. But I'm no longer his. I've put that behind me."

I wasn't so sure it was over with. "Is he looking for you? Your trainer?"

Ria froze. It didn't look she did, but I saw the fleeting moment of panic on her face in that time. She regained her composure within milliseconds. "Probably, but I don't think he'll be able to find me. He didn't seem like the type that would search through a harsh snowstorm for two days."

I tilted my head. "What if he is?" She didn't respond. I decided not to push the issue further. I was lucky she spilled her story in the first place. I popped a berry in my mouth as I headed to the cave entrance. "So, the storm's died down."

Ria followed me, looking out of the cave as well. "Yes, it has."

I turned to her and smiled. "So if you're wild now, I might as well show you around."

She raised an eyebrow before the recognition hit her, and then she nodded, understanding. "Sure thing, Gale."

We had been meandering about for a while. I had shown her the generic territories of the other wild Pokemon I knew of, describing their habits and personalities to the best of my ability. We were careful to view those areas from my territory, as I did not want to get into any altercations with the residents of those territories. It was a mutual thing that all of us living on the mountain understood.

Everything was going rather well, until I spotted some unfamiliar tracks in the snow. "Hm. That's weird."

Ria looked over. "What is it, Gale?"

I motioned for her to look. "It's not much. I just don't recognize these tracks." I was unaware of Ria's expression as I continued. "That's nothing new, though… I'm learning about other Pokemon all the time, even though I live here. For example, just the other day, I encountered-"

"T-t-that's… no, that's… impossible…" I was interrupted by Ria. As I turned to look at her, her expression was on of absolute horror and fear.

"Wait, what? I don't understand-"

I was interrupted again. "Gale." Our eyes met. The scared look she had was so intense, it unnerved me. "These are Manectric tracks. My trainer's favorite Pokemon was a Manectric."

I lost it. Not the way you'd think. I don't outburst over anything. Instead, I bolted off, following the tracks so quickly you wouldn't even think I was following anything. Ria took off after me.

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_I was informed of these events by other Pokemon, who happened to be watching the occurrences for most of it between them. I'll tell you who they are as the story goes on. Since it happened around the same time as the second day in my cave when Ria woke up, I thought it would be good to tell it here, as it leads into the next part of the story from my point of view. For now, I'll narrate from a third-person point of view. Regards, Gale the Glaceon._

A blue and yellow wolf proceeded through the snowy forest, sniffing the ground. "Nngh… nothing. Again. Where could that blasted Espeon have gotten to?" He trudged through the snow, obviously annoyed. He was muttering to himself as he searched all over. "I smelled her scent, I know it. But it disappeared at one point, with no tracks left. How the heck did she do that?" He sighed as he turned to the left, heading to another part of the forest.

The wolf had survived last night ever since his trainer had sent the Pokemon to look for one of the trainer's other Pokemon, who went missing after an accident. He had found, killed, and eaten a Spheal the night before, and that was plenty enough to tide him over for the hunt today. "I can't lose her. But where did the scent go?" The wolf kept going forward.

He was starting to get very annoyed, and was about to take a break to calm down when a voice came out of nowhere, startling him. "Well well, looks like someone is in a hurry. What's the matter?" The wolf looked all around, but he could see nothing. Snarling, he returned to continue forward, when right in front of him was a Pokemon. Uniquely shaped, but it definitely looked like an Ice-type. It also had a red ribbon around its body, and it floated in midair.

The blue and yellow wolf gave a small huff. "Why do you care? You're in my way." He moved by the other Pokemon, intending to keep going.

The other Pokemon reappeared right in his path, again. Definitely a Ghost-type. "You're in my territory, darling. Surely that takes precedence over me being in your way. What's so important to you that you had to come visit me?"

The wolf snorted. "I wouldn't know that. I don't live here." He paused for a moment, considering the ghost's words. Perhaps if she lived in the area, she could be of use. When he next spoke, his tone was slightly more friendly, even if it still remained gruff and annoyed overall. "I'm actually looking for someone. Have you seen an Espeon anywhere around here recently?"

The ghost giggled. "Oh, you're a newcomer? Excellent! What's your name, sweetie? I haven't seen anyone of your species around."

The wolf rolled his eyes. "My name is Bolt. I am a Manectric. Now have you seen an Espeon or not? It's a female."

The ghost smiled, as if ignoring Bolt's insistent questioning. "Nice to meet you, Bolt. My name is Crystal. I am the only Froslass around these parts. But what is a Manectric doing around in the mountains if you don't live here?"

Bolt rolled his eyes. "Answer my question first, and maybe I'll answer yours."

Crystal giggled. "An Espeon, you say? What if I have?"

Bolt's posture straightened immediately. "Then tell me where she is."

Crystal shook her head, wagging a finger. "I never said that I did. I only said _what if_ I had." She giggled again.

Bolt snarled. "That means you have. Tell me, now!" His fur crackled with static electricity.

Crystal smiled widely. "Oh, a feisty one, eh? Make me." She then disappeared. Bolt whirled around, looking for her, when an Ice Ball slammed into his back. "If that's how you treat a stranger, then it's not going to be any better for this Espeon you speak of." The voice came from nowhere, carried on wisps of wind. Multitudes of Froslass suddenly appeared all around Bolt, all preparing an attack.

Bolt's eyes darted from copy to copy, before letting out a yell as electricity burst out from him. The Discharge attack struck every single copy, but they all faded. A cold wind blew, surprisingly battering Bolt. The wind filled him with a sense of dread, and he could hear words inside of his head. _"If you're an enemy to this mountain, there will be nothing good for you here. I will leave it at this for now."_

The wind faded, and Bolt shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He growled. 'Well, that was a pain. And she didn't even say where…' he thought. The Manectric took off once more, running aimlessly as he tried to pick up a scent trail. Oh, that encounter wasn't pointless. It spurred him to keep going. It told him that he had enemies on this forsaken mountain. The hunt was on.

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Well, I'll let you think for yourselves about what happened this chapter. Reviews, please! I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, I have a week off from school next week, so I'll have a lot of time starting Saturday. Until then, see you all later! Peace~


	4. Goodbye

Hello, everyone! I note a lack of reviews last chapter… but anyway, I have a question for you all. Is it generally better to write fanfictions one at a time to keep focused, or should I start some other fanfictions while I have some that are incomplete? I have two developed ideas, but I don't really want to cut off my focus on the ones I'm already writing/will be writing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm on break this week, so I should have more time to write.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 4: Goodbye**

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_Again, I was informed of this part by some of my friends, who happened to be watching these events. If I Since these parts happened at the same time when Ria and I were following Bolt's tracks, I thought it would be good to tell it here, as it leads into the next part of the story from my point of view. Again, I'll temporarily narrate from a third-person point of view. Regards, Gale the Glaceon._

Bolt raced through the winter forest. He had picked up a scent, granted, it was not the Espeon's, but it was something. And something was better than nothing. Especially since it had led him to another part of the forest he hadn't seen before, taking him along a relatively hidden path up the mountainside.

He was relatively relaxed, well, as relaxed as Bolt could be, which is to say, tense. Even so, he was not prepared for when something hit him in the back of the head and knocked him into the snow. Growling, he got up, looking around for the source of it. Finding nobody, he sniffed the air. "Who's there!"

There was no response. Instead, he felt another sharp sting of pain on the back of his head. This only angered Bolt further. He audibly snarled before resuming his running pace up the mountainside. In his head, he was counting the time, since he had counted the time between the previous two attacks._ '…five…six!'_ He jumped back, watching three Ice Shards plummet into the ground in front of him as he whirled around. Finally, he was rewarded with the sight of his assailant.

A Weavile stood in the tree, sharpening its claws. "Thought the first warning was enough, eh? Apparently not. What're you doin' in my territory, mate? I'll give you a chance to answer."

Bolt's eyes narrowed. "And why the hell would I take orders from you?"

Weavile shook his head as he examined his claws. Sharp, shiny, and deadly. His eyes leveled with Bolt's from up on the Weavile's perch. "Wrong answer." He was a visible blur as several Ice Shards rained at Bolt before he dashed off of the tree and out of sight. Bolt sidestepped the Shards as he didn't even bother turning around, letting out a powerful Discharge attack in all directions. Weavile ducked behind a tree to take cover from the attack before dashing in, sending Bolt sprawling with a Night Slash. As he got up, Weavile cocked his head, honing his claws again. "What say you? One last try."

Bolt growled. This wasn't an opponent to mess with, either. What was up with the strength of the mountain's Pokemon? Still, he didn't want to take any more unnecessary risks than he had to. His target would put up a fight, too. "There's an Espeon in these parts that doesn't belong here. Where is she?"

The Weavile did a backflip onto another tree. "Wherever she is, she ain't in my territory, I know that, mate. Haven't found a trace of one in the area, and only some Ice-types can hide from me… but only for so long. But you sir, you're still intruding. Scram, or pay the price." His eyes narrowed. "And there's more than one price."

Bolt let out a small growl. "More than one…? Are you giving me a choice?"

Weavile smirked. "That's for me to know, and you to find out. Now, are you going to make me kill you? I don't have any qualms 'bout spilling some blood here."

Bolt adopted a defensive stance. "And what if I kept following a scent that led me here in the first place?"

Weavile paused. "Which one?" He was still on guard as he hopped down from his tree.

Bolt gave some semblance of a smile as he walked over to the path he was on. He bent down, sniffing the track, then turned back to the Weavile. "Here."

Weavile knelt down. "Ah, that'd be the Glaceon 'round these parts. He lives up on the mountain, there. I had a run-in with him a long time ago but he's been careful since." His eyes narrowed. "What'd you be tracking him for, eh?"

Bolt shook his head. "I said, I was looking for an Espeon. She's not from here, and I'm going to drag her back whether she likes it or not."

Weavile raised an eyebrow. "Why, pray tell? You don't mean her harm, hm?"

Bolt snarled. "That bitch ran off from my trainer. I'm gonna make her pay for having my trainer send me out here in this trash heap of a moun-"

Something in Weavile's mind snapped as Bolt said this, sidearming Bolt midsentence and sending him across the crag. "Oh ho, if this Espeon didn't like where she was, she had full right to escape given the chance, mate. Especially when she's around scum like you. Arceus help your trainer like the damned pup you grew up to be." He hopped up in the air, raining Ice Shards down at Bolt. "Good thing I never bothered to ask your name. I prefer killing those who I don't care about."

Bolt was struck by the Ice Shards as he was getting up. As he recovered from that, he was greeted with the Weavile right in his face, about to land a Night Slash at his head. Bolt twisted his body and got hit in the side instead, but as Weavile made contact, Bolt let out a powerful Discharge attack, shocking the Weavile on the spot. As the Ice-type stood there, slightly dazed, Bolt got up from the blow and rammed right into the Weavile with a Wild Charge, sending him flying. Weavile crashed against a rock on the cliff face as Bolt followed, staring right into his eyes at the downed Weavile. "And you thought you were going to kill me? Not so tough now, aren't you!" Bolt pummeled the Weavile with a Strength attack. "I've wasted enough time dealing with you. Die."

As Bolt went for a lethal Bite to the Weavile's neck, he was slammed aside by a massive wall of energy. "JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Bolt lifted his head off of the ground to see a Glaceon and an Espeon staring him down with menace in their eyes. Espeon's gem was glowing from her previous Psyshock attack.

* * *

_And here we are. This is where I arrive, so I'll be narrating from my point of view again. ~Gale_

I watched the Manectric struggle to his feet. This was the Pokemon that Ria was being chased by? It certainly seemed the part. It chuckled. "Well, then. She finally arrives. It took long enough to find you. Master's missing you, you know."

Ria narrowed her eyes. "You didn't even find us, Bolt." Bolt? So that was his name. I didn't listen to the rest of their banter because I noticed the one Bolt had been attacking. I recognized that Weavile. He had given me that nasty scar several years ago. How ironic that it was him laying there now. I dashed over to him. "You!"

By now, he was mentally alert. He smiled sheepishly. "Oh, I remember you, mate." He eyed my side, no doubt looking at the scar. "Sorry about that. It was a long time ago, hm?" He started to push himself up, and made it with my help. "Oof, that Manectric packs a punch."

I nodded. "He's a trainer's Pokemon, so I'd think he'd be strong." I looked over the Weavile again, spotting some dark red liquid on both the cliff face and the back of his head. "You're bleeding. Might want to stay back."

He shrugged. "Ehh… I've had worse left untreated. I'll be fine for now." He stretched his arms before he paused, raised an eyebrow and looked at me. "All these years and I never caught your name, mate." He extended a claw. "The name's Hunter."

I shook it gingerly, wary of the sharpness, but I nodded. "I'm Gale. And the Espeon is Ria, if you haven't heard." I turned my head to her. She had finished the not-so-friendly banter with Bolt and had just blocked a Signal Beam with one of her own.

Bolt was too focused on his opponent that he must have forgotten about me once I had gone to check on Hunter. Either he wasn't very bright, or Ria was just that strong. I'd never noticed, because I had never seen her fight. But regardless, Bolt never noticed me slinking around to his side. It was partially due to my Snow Cloak ability, as it was snowing again, but he didn't see my Ice Beam coming before it was too late.

Bolt let out a howl as his left side was frozen, turning to me just as Ria used the opportunity to hit him with another Psyshock. He smashed the ice with his other leg as he got up. "Two against one, huh? That's not very honorable of you," he jeered. I saw electricity course through his fur.

I shrugged. "Whatever will put you down. I'm not letting you hurt anyone else!" I charged an Icy Wind attack as Ria sent a Shadow Ball flying towards Bolt, but he reared back and let out a monstrously powerful Discharge attack. He had been using Charge while he Taunted us! Ria had just enough time to put up a Light Screen around us to dampen the attack, but it still hurt.

Bolt growled. "I won't need to hurt anyone else besides you two. I'm bringing Ria back to our trainer even if I need to knock her out first." He then attacked with a Flamethrower, much to my surprise and dismay, being the Ice-type I was. I dashed sideways, tumbling across the crag as I just managed to dodge. I didn't see what happened to Ria, but I assumed she was fine since I heard Bolt howl in pain.

Unfortunately, Ria crashed into me, the victim of a Wild Charge attack that had countered her own Quick Attack. As we both struggled to our feet, I tried to find why Bolt had been hurt. That's when I saw the place where Hunter had been laying was empty. I looked up to find both Hunter and Bolt bleeding profusely. Hunter had been bitten on the leg, while Bolt had a huge gash in his side. I dashed over to Hunter while Ria leapt up in the air. "Hunter! I told you to stay back!"

The Weavile collapsed on the ground, chuckling. "Couldn't let you guys get hurt more, now could I? It's okay, I'll be fine…" He obviously wasn't fine, as he passed out then and there.

I was about to move him back to his previous spot by the rock wall o the left, but I froze as I heard a bloodcurdling screech. "Ria!" I shouted, running over.

Smoke was rising from her body as the Thunderbolt's current had ended. But she was still standing! How?! Bolt was moaning, he had been hit by an attack of Ria's that I hadn't seen, but he looked to be better off than my friend. That was when Ria's gem flashed. "No more." Her voice was shaky, but still filled with absolute conviction. I didn't try attacking Bolt because I didn't want to get in the way of whatever Ria was planning. "This ends now, Bolt. I'm no longer one of his." She spat the last word out like it was venom. I turned to speak to Hunter, but he had passed out.

Bolt snarled. "What makes you think you can beat me? Huh?!" He formed an Electro Ball in his mouth and fired it, but that was when it happened. Cards – as in legit cards – appeared on the air around Ria as they shot at Bolt. Several crashed into the Electro Ball, countering it as several more continued on the strike Bolt, sending him flying towards the edge of the cliff.

Ria's voice was unwavering, even though her legs looked ready to collapse. "Forgot about my Trump Card, hmm? It's over."

Bolt was holding on to the edge of the cliff by his front legs. "Nngh… this isn't the end, Ria. He'll come. And when he does, you are going to pay, and pay, and pay. Master won't like finding out that I'm gone. Ugh…"

Ria shook her head. "No. I will be free. I'm sorry it came to this, Bolt. But you made it that way. Goodbye." She turned away as Bolt's grip on the cliff failed, and he fell.

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Well, how did you like it? I'm sure you're all going to be curious as to where I'm going with this. You'll find out as we go on! Anyway, reviews please! As I mentioned earlier, I'm on break this week, so I'm going to have more time to write. See you all next time, and I hope that it's soon! Peace~


	5. Recovery

So, I said I'd be able to write more during my week off. I was wrong. Kinda hard to focus when you're sick and have a bad headache. Aside from that, this chapter is also more of a filler chapter than anything, but I suppose it's necessary. I apologize if you don't think it's up to standard.

Anyway, let's see, the reviews. I'm glad you like the characterization. It's something I highly value in any story. As for writing the other stories, I know, I have many developed ideas, but I guess it's best to finish them one at a time. This one in particular will be longer than I had originally intended. Had I stuck with my original plan, this would be the second to last chapter, but that's never the way things work. I have chapters 5-11 or 12 mapped out. As for Ria, well, just hold on. You'll learn more as I write more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 5: Recovery**

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I awoke to the sound of screaming. It wasn't a frightened scream, but more like the owner of the voice was in agony.

"AAAAAAAAGHH! IT BUUUUUURNS!"

"Calm down! It'll only sting for a little bit."

"THE PAAAAAAAINNN!"

My eyes shot open, looking for the source of not one, but two voices, one sounding male, and the other, female. As I took in my surroundings, I noticed that I was in a cave. The walls were lit with a curiously purple flame, and the cave walls themselves were icy blue and frozen completely. Wait, where was I? The last thing I had remembered was Bolt falling off of the cliff.

"OW! DON'T TOUCH THAT!"

"If you weren't thrashing around, it wouldn't hurt!"

"IT STILL DOES, YOU SAID IT WOULD ONLY STING FOR A LITTLE BIT! IT'S STILL BURNING!"

As my eyes followed the voices, I noticed two Pokemon on the other side of this part of the cave, as I saw that there were multiple paths from the room I was laying in. As the realization set in of who the two were, I chuckled. I actually happened to know them both, and now I knew that wherever I was, I wasn't in enemy hands… just in the lair of a very… let's just say, interesting, individual. For laying on the ground over on the other side was a Weavile. Hunter. And apparently trying to tend to him was the Froslass who I had a run-in with a few years ago, but I had never caught her name.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT?"

"Do you want to get better or not?!"

"I'LL BE FINE ON MY OWN! NOT _THERE_, WHAT ARE YOU _DOING_! OWWW!

"SHUT UP!"

Hunter was wrapped in some places with bandages, and the Froslass was trying to tend to him with medicine of some sort. I cringed as I noticed a pile of bloody bandages off to the side, and then noticing the bloodstains seeping through the ones Hunter was wearing.

"COULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE FOR JUST TWO MINUTES?! THAT STUFF IS AGONIZING!"

"FINE. Just don't mess with the bandages." The Froslass gave a sigh as she floated away, but her expression brightened as she noticed that I was awake. "Oh, you're awake! I'm so glad! That Weavile is so annoying to work with." She studied me for a few moments before her eyes widened. "YOU! Four years, one month, and twenty-two days ago, right? Is that you?"

I nodded, sighing. "You're the only Froslass I've seen around this mountain. But what happened to-" I looked over at Hunter again. The memory came back in an instant. Hunter was bleeding profusely. Ria was smoking with residual electricity. I was knocked against the rock wall. Bolt… Ria… Bolt was gone. But Ria… wait, what about me? "Uhh, why am I here? And why is Hunter here?"

The Froslass frowned. "Dear, I had heard a lot of noises coming from near my home, so I went to investigate. I don't know what happened, but I found you passed out against a rock, this Weavile was bleeding out, and then there was an Espeon who was out like a light on the edge of the cliff. You're all in my cave now."

My ears perked up as she mentioned the Espeon. "You got Ria, too? Where is she? I need to see her."

The Froslass tilted her head. "Ria? Is that the Espeon? I heard you refer to the Weavile there as Hunter." I nodded, and the Froslass frowned. "Well, she's still out. It may be a coma. I've taken her vitals, and everything seems like it would be fine, but it's all slowed down a lot. I don't know when she's going to wake up."

I immediately stood up upon hearing this. No. It couldn't be true, I just had to go there and wake her myself. I let out a grunt as I collapsed down onto the ground again. "Ugh… I have to go see her."

The Froslass helped me into a more comfortable position. "The Weavile had lost a lot of blood when I found him, so I was worried most about him, but it turned out he woke up first. I had temporarily forgotten the primary rule of medics: the quietest ones are in the most danger. I'm worried about the Espeon, too, but you shouldn't see her until you're recovered, too. Your broke your left hip and shoulder, presumably from the impact with the rock wall."

I sighed, sagging back down onto the ground. "I just hope she's okay…" My eyes shot open as what the Froslass had just said registered in my brain. "WHAT?"

At this, the Froslass sighed. "Yes, it's quite unfortunate… broken bones are a bit hard to treat. But modern medicine does seem to have quite a bit of strength to it."

I sweatdropped. "Would that explain Hunter's screaming?" Froslass nodded. "Oh dear…"

Speaking of Hunter, that's when the two of us perked up at another shout from him. "HEY, WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?"

Froslass gave me an exasperated smile. "I'll be right back, I suppose."

I tilted my head, thinking as she turned to go back to Hunter. "Hold on… I've known you ever since that day a long time ago, and I'm staying here now, but I never learned your name."

The Froslass turned to me, giving a mischievous smile. "Ah, yes. My name is Crystal." But before I could speak up to return the favor, she surprised me by continuing. "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Gale." Crystal then turned and flew over to Hunter while I was left dazed.

"Wait, how do you know my name…?" It was too late, she was already arguing with Hunter about how his bandages were loose or some other inconsequential topic.

I sighed, resting my head on my paws, but then I felt a jolt of pain. Feeling the source in my shoulder, I turned to inspect it, only to find that it, too was wrapped in a bandage, and in a sling as well. How I hadn't felt it earlier was a mystery to me, but it seemed that it was well in place until I had tried moving my leg to a different position. I sighed again, frustrated at my injuries while I rolled onto my uninjured side in order to rest my head on the floor. Sleep quickly came.

* * *

I was awoken abruptly once more, but not by the sound of screaming, my to my delight. Instead, this time I was being gently shaken awake by the gentle touch of Crystal trying to rouse me. "Gale? You're awake, good."

I was still mildly drowsy from just being woken up, but my mind was clear enough to respond. "Oh, Crystal. Good morning, or whatever time it is. Something up?"

She nodded. Just then, I noticed a sense of urgency in her eyes. "It's actually about three in the morning, so technically, you'd be right. But Ria's moving, and I thought you'd like to know."

At this, my eyes shot open. My body was fully awake from this piece of news. As soon as I started to attempt to get up, Crystal hovered over me, gently holding me down. "You aren't healed enough to walk yet. Remember, you broke important bones on two of your legs. Hold on, and I can help."

I nodded, and Crystal's eyes glowed blue. I felt myself held still as the Psychic lifted me up. Crystal smiled as she flew into another room, with me floating behind. Indeed, Ria was in the room, in the fetal position on the floor. And she was twitching.

As Crystal let me down on the floor and released her Psychic hold on me, I couldn't help myself. Something stirred in my heart when I saw Ria lying there like that, and I couldn't just wait for something to happen. "Ria!" I shouted, hobbling towards her. I wasn't expecting what happened next to happen. The Espeon's eyes shot open and she scrambled to her feet. I was astounded and sat back. "Ria, you're awake!"

She shook her head before blinking twice. "What… was that…?"

I tilted my head. "What was what? What are you talking about?"

Ria finally seemed to notice our presence. She looked around, confused. "Gale? I was worried about you… where are we?"

Crystal floated over to Ria. "You're in my home, sweetie."

I nodded. "This is Crystal. She found all of us after the fight with Bolt and took us all to her cave so she could heal us." I paused as her words hit me. "You, worried about me? You were out cold for a long time."

Ria gave me that look again, and I smiled sheepishly. That gaze was so intense and patronizing. Sheesh, she really had a way with nonverbal communication. But, I liked that about her. It made things easy, even if I was on the receiving end of it. "That doesn't mean I can't be worried about you, too."

Crystal tilted her head, as if pondering something. "Wait… fight with Bolt?"

Ria raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. "You know him?"

Crystal nodded. "I had an encounter with him down in the forest. He was rather rude when we talked, and at one point I just got fed up and attacked, forcing him away. What happened to you guys with him?"

I sighed. "We fought him. He fell off the cliff, and then you probably came and saw when he did to us."

Crystal gawked. "Against you three? He didn't seem to strong when I fought him."

Ria frowned. "You weren't his target, so he wouldn't have bothered. He probably just considered you an annoyance and a waste of time. He had the environment to deal with aside from myself."

Crystal nodded in understanding. "Okay… but why was he after you in the first place?"

Ria sighed. She knew it was going to come to this at some point. "Bolt and I used to belong to the same trainer. He was a terrible owner, abusive, mean, and more. I ran away after destroying my Pokeball, but Bolt…" She looked down, ashamed of herself. "I didn't want to kill him, but I had no choice."

Crystal fell silent for a long time before raising her head and changing the topic. "So how do you feel? I was worried that you were in a coma or something."

Ria shrugged. "Honestly? I feel like shit, but that's not going to stop me from getting stuff done." I smirked. These next few days of recovery would be interesting ones. "Especially when we're still in danger."

My jaw dropped, while Crystal looked concerned. "From what? And how do you know?"

Crystal nodded. "Would it happen to have something to do with you being a Psychic-type?"

Ria's eyes narrowed. "Possibly. But you said I was unconscious, or in a coma or something like that. I was seeing. Like a vision. And you're not going to like it." I gave her a questioning look, prompting for her to continue. "My trainer is searching for us himself, and this time he's brought his team."

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Again, I'm sorry for the somewhat late release… although I should still be on a schedule of a weekly release barring anything else happening to me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chaper. Read and review, please! And I'll see you all next time.


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter here. The last one only got one review, so I'd really appreciate it if you all reviewed each chapter. Despite what people in general seem to think, we as writers actually love reading about your comments on the stories! So talk to me, or I will eat your soul. Just kidding, maybe I'll eat your liver instead. Unless you drink alcohol. Never mind. Carry on~

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm**

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My jaw dropped. "What?!"

Crystal looked at Ria grimly. "That does not bode well. If Bolt was able to render the three of you in critical condition, I fear for when the rest of his teammates are there."

Ria nodded. "I suppose you'd be right to be worried. However, I think Bolt was always the strongest of us all. Including me, to an extent. I'm not underestimating the rest of my former teammates, but I'm not as worried about fighting them, for multiple reasons." Her voice dropped in volume, and she spoke much quieter. "Bolt was smarter than them all. In a way, I did respect his ability in combat. I never thought I'd say this, but I regret that I had to kill him."

I frowned. "Didn't you say that he was just as bad as his trainer?"

Ria nodded. "He is." Her eyes flashed. "Was. But that was mainly when it came to those other than our team. He never showed it, but I knew that he cared for us."

Crystal flew over to Ria and briefly hugged her before looking her in the eyes. "That must have been hard on both of you. Since you ran away from the rest of them, Bolt's obligations must have been split between his trainer and his teammate, but he chose to primarily obey his master?"

Ria nodded again, confirming the Froslass's accurate estimation. "Just about. I could tell in his mind that he wanted me to come back to his team so we could be at peace again. He didn't like it when the rest of us in our team argued."

"But the rest of your team…" I started.

Ria shook her head. "They didn't care as much as Bolt. All they liked was beating up those who our trainer picked a fight with. I'd have less of a hard time for my conscience if I dispatched them."

I tilted my head. "So, who are the rest of your team?"

Crystal had opened her mouth, shut it again, then spoke. "I was just going to ask that," she sighed.

Ria rolled her eyes, smirking a little bit. "There was five of us. There's me and Bolt. Aside from us, there's a Zangoose, a Scizor, and a Toxicroak."

"Ah, finally she spills the beans. That's all I wanted to find out, mate." Hunter dropped from the ceiling, landing next to the rest of us.

Crystal reeled back in astonishment. "What are you doing? Aren't you still recovering?"

The Weavile nodded. "Yup. Still hurts like bloody hell, but I ain't going to let a little flesh wound stop me from learning about what was next."

Crystal sweatdropped. "I was going to tell you anyway…"

Hunter's face was blank. "Oh. So you mean I didn't have to hurt myself climbing onto the ceiling?"Ria and I facefaulted. Crystal sighed. Nobody chose to answer that question.

Still, Crystal spoke up, changing the subject. "Ria, did you see where they were?"

The Espeon nodded. "It's alright, no need to worry too much. They're almost half-way up the mountainside, and not even in the forested area yet. We should have several days if they need to scout out the entire mountain. Plenty of time to rest up, huh Gale?" She smirked at me, giving me that look again.

My stomach did a flip, especially when my mind immediately registered her gaze and her vocal tone. It was one thing letting someone snuggle against you while the one in question was in bad shape, you were the one taking care of her, and because of the need for body heat to stay warm. But when the tables were turned… I was a Glaceon. I had little need to keep warm. If Ria wanted to keep me company… Well, this odd relationship might just be going somewhere faster than I thought. How much did she like me? I instead chose to shift the subject. "Aren't you hurt as well?"

Ria shrugged. "I just overexerted myself in the fight. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix, especially considering we fought in the afternoon, I slept through the rest of the next day, and now it's around four in the morning. That's what, thirty-six hours? Good enough for me, I suppose."

I looked at Crystal, shock in my eyes. "We were out for nearly two days?"

She shrugged. "Told you I was worried."

Hunter scratched his head. "I woke up the first day, though. She can't believe you slept through a whole day of me being tortured." Crystal gave him a harsh look and he shut up.

"That's actually what woke me up…" I mentioned. Crystal gave me that harsh look as well, so I shut up too.

The Froslass then turned to Ria. "If we have as much time as you say, then perhaps we should get some more rest. Gale and Hunter are still recovering from their injuries, and you should stay relaxed as well even if you feel fine. It's fortunate that they're further away, as Gale still needs to let his bones adjust after I set them."

Upon hearing that, I tried getting up again, but I fell to the floor as my left shoulder and hip gave out. "You're right…" I sighed.

Ria looked at me sympathetically. "It's still very early in the morning. Let's get some sleep, and we can figure out what we're going to do when we wake up again." There was a twinkle in her eyes that let me know I was not going to be sleeping alone tonight.

* * *

_Three days later…_

I woke up from my sleep and immediately felt soft fur wrapped around my body. Ria was still asleep right next to me, and her tail was curled around my side. Huh. The feeling and sight reminded me of the first time we slept next to each other, but that time, I had needed to keep her warm. Crystal's cave was much bigger, and actually brighter due to the ice on the walls reflecting any light that entered the cave. Mine was just a bland rock cave, with its dull gray interior, and it wasn't that big either, so the exit of the cave, and subsequently the cold weather, was a lot closer at home than it was here.

Ria felt my body shift, and her eyes slowly opened. Her eyes locked into mine, and she smiled. "Good morning, Gale."

I couldn't help but smile back. "G'morning." I yawned. My injured legs had been feeling better each day, and yesterday I had even managed to walk around for a short while.

Ria also knew this. "How are you feeling?"

I understood the question to not be about myself generically, but rather, my left shoulder and hip. I didn't quite know the answer to that, so I decided to try and stand up again. Ria silently acknowledged this, and got up so as to give me a little more room. By putting most of my weight on my right legs, I stood up, then shook my body to loosen up a bit. Ria nodded. "Try it."

Gingerly, I took the weight off of my front right foot and took a step forward with my left. It wasn't too bad, actually. This encouraged me to start pacing around, testing my legs. I seemed to be doing alright, although I didn't want to go to the extreme yet for risk of further injury. But at least it seemed like I could move on my own again. "Looks like I'm doing better today."

Ria smiled. "That's great! Should we go see the others?" I nodded, following her as we headed to check on Crystal and Hunter.

It turned out that they were already up. Crystal had unbandaged Hunter's side and was checking the injury. I cringed as I saw how bad the wound was. Fortunately, it had healed over, at least on the surface, so there was no blood staining the bandages, but they were still necessary in order to apply the healing salve the Crystal had. The Froslass turned her head as we entered the room, and her countenance brightened. She smiled as she came over to us. "Good morning, you two. Glad to see you walking again, Gale. It seems Hunter is doing better as well. The wound has closed, but he has to be careful or else it will rupture again."

Ria frowned. "Well, he needs to be careful. It's already been several days, so my trainer should be in the area. We need to be ready to fight them off. At least you and I are ready, but Gale and Hunter need to be alert."

I hid my surprise well. I had forgotten that today was the day that Ria had said her trainer would most likely show up. "If we outnumber them four to three, then it should be alright. I know for a fact that Crystal can fight well."

The Froslass in question whined. "Can't you just put that week behind us?"

I shook my head. "I could, but I doubt I'll forget about it anytime soon, especially now that you're involved with me again."

Hunter had finished eating the berries he had for breakfast and came over to meet the rest of us. "It'll be okay, mates. All four of us should be fine. As long as we don't slip up, there ain't no reason these blokes should beat us. As you said, we outnumber them."

Ria looked at him pointedly. "As long as you don't underestimate them. I know that they're no pushovers even if they're not as strong as Bolt, so you still need to be careful." Hunter nodded, acquiescing.

Crystal thought for a moment. "Did your trainer send Bolt to find you initially because he was your team's tracker? I don't think a Zangoose, Scizor, or Toxicroak would be able to do that." Ria nodded. A small smile crept onto Crystal's face. "Then, should we set up an ambush? It may come in handy."

I nodded. "If we can get the advantage over them to start off with, the fight may not be as risky as it could be." Hunter nodded, agreeing with me and Crystal.

Ria shrugged. "I suppose it could work, but we'd have to prepare rather well. They may not be the best at detecting ambushes, seeing as how hardly anyone tries to attack them like that, but when they've regained their senses, they can respond quite quickly."

Crystal frowned slightly. "I see. I may have an idea. Gale, you and Ria should get a bite to eat, and then we should start preparing for them."

Ria nodded. "Sounds good to me. Let's go, Gale." She threw me a sideways smile as we headed off to another room in Crystal's cave.

The Froslass had gathered a bunch of berries while the three of us were unconscious so that we could eat without having to go get food ourselves. After all, it's not like Crystal would have any food in her cave already, seeing as how Ghosts didn't need to eat. But her cave was huge. It had several rooms too, making it like catacombs of some sort.

Nonetheless, Ria and I reached the stash of food, and started eating. It was silent, but I had gone to thinking while Ria and I ate.

"Ria?"

"Hm?" She paused, about to take another bite, but then lowered the half-eaten berry, staring at me.

I looked away. "What are you planning on doing after we fight your team? If we win, of course."

Ria gave a concerned expression. "Good to see you're not taking this victory for granted." Her expression softened as she stared into space. Now it was my turn to feel nervous, as Ria looked rather uncomfortable with whatever she was going to say next. "Gale… if we win, I won't have to worry about my trainer anymore. So, in the future…" Her voice trailed off.

I tried looking into her eyes, despite what usually happens when she does that to me. I wanted that contact to know how she was feeling. But she was still slightly out of it, and never met my eyes. "Yes?" I asked, prompting her to continue.

But she shook her head. "No… I can't. Let's wait until after we fight him." She got up. I noticed that she never finished her berry as I followed her out of the room. "Time to settle things once and for all."

* * *

Well? What do you think? Thanks for reading, and please leave a review! We have a big battle scene coming up, so hold on tight!


	7. Free

So, I tried taking an endeavor and writing this chapter in the midst of production week (also known as hell week) of my school's musical, of which I am also involved with. That failed. I just came back from the cast party (mind you, it was my last one, as I'm a senior in high school), and am sitting at home at around 1:00 AM.

Anyway, reviews. Funnyach, I responded to you in PM, but I'll put the gist of it here for everyone. On the contrary, Crystal and Hunter do in fact know Gale, so they are willing to help because they know him. We'll get to details that later, but Hunter's history with Gale is a bit shallow, although he helps out on the principle of common enemies. I did already tell about him in an earlier chapter, I believe. Crystal's will get a sizable portion of a future chapter, as all I've done for her is lay down hints.

Haddi, I prefer to keep things more realistic. Glad you appreciate it. Makes it more realistic, and also provides some opportunities for kindling romance. Nothing like a good ol' injury to promote closeness and intimacy. ;) And yes, I fixed that one typo. Chase is actually the name of a Luxray that's going to be one of the protagonists in my next fanfiction. And I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that at first, lol.

Thanks for the compliments, tinyRyan117 and thenewlegendarysupersaiyan! (Nice name, lol.)

ThatRandomGuy71, I'm improving? I never really pay attention to that myself, although I suppose I've written this one better than my first fanfiction, I suppose. Hmm. I guess it's best left for you readers to judge rather than myself.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Free**

* * *

Hunter shifted in his hiding spot and made eye contact with me in my own, nodding. That was the first signal.

We had all set up an ambush at the crag Crystal's cave was near. It came to a point where it bottlenecked, so that would be the optimal point. Hunter's keen senses could alert him to the presence of others nearby. There were four. Ria's ex-trainer had three others, and he probably had them all in the open, aiding in the search process. Well, weren't they going to be in for a surprise?

But I was nervous. Regardless, I did was I needed to and looked around, spotting Ria. Her head was staring at some spot elsewhere that I couldn't see even when I followed her gaze's direction. More than likely, she was just thinking. I couldn't think of all the possible thoughts that could be running through her head. Was it caution? Anxiousness? Happiness at the thought of finally ending this? There were so many options that I just stopped trying to make it out myself. Apparently, I had been staring at her for quite some time, and she became aware of it, turning her head to look at me. "_Is it nearly time?"_ she asked telepathically.

All I did was nod. I couldn't respond since I was not capable of telepathy, nor could I speak audibly for caution of being detected. Her gaze slipped from mine, again going into that distant state where I could tell she was not looking at me, even though she was in physical terms. She snapped out of it soon enough, and then there was a soft rustle as she retreated from our contact spots to do what she needed to. That bush was simply where she and I could make contact, likewise with me and Hunter, but from where Hunter was positioned, he could not contact Ria himself. I had no idea where Crystal was, but I trusted she was ready.

And I waited. We waited. The second signal was likely to come at any moment…

And I was right. It did. The sound of a branch snapping very loudly could be heard from somewhere close by. Hunter had collected an old, stiff branch of a tree that would act as an auditory tripwire without any noise from the four of us. It was placed in a conspicuous enough place to ensure it would be stepped on. Besides, from what Ria had said, the trainer would try to step on it just to hear it crack anyway, what with his tendencies towards meaningless destruction.

Regardless, the second signal had responded. And all hell broke loose.

The trainer and his three Pokemon were trudging up the slope towards the opening in the crag when a strong gust of bitter-cold wind began to blow. He raised his arm to cover his face as the unexpected wind made the Pokemon look around with suspicion. Even up here on the mountain, weather didn't arbitrarily change.

And that suspicion which had made them pause to look around kept them still as a rockslide began tumbling down. Hunter sliced through the vines holding back a huge number of rocks and ice, sending the load tumbling down the crag and towards the trainer and his Pokemon. They weren't prepared for something like that, and were battered by the oncoming tumult of debris.

Which was precisely the moment to strike.

A wall of psychic energy appeared from the side, slamming into the group and sending the Toxicroak flying. The Scizor held firm against the wall as the trainer made a dash for cover, but then was knocked aside as it was hit by a Shadow Ball, although the Psyshock had dissipated by then. The Zangoose looked around frantically, trying to find the attackers, and was met with a Weavile right in its face as it just barely managed to guard the Night Slash aimed at his head. Snarling, he tried to smash Hunter with a Crush Claw, only to find it pass through thin air as Hunter dodged.

* * *

I had caught up to the Toxicroak, who was still shaking off the Psyshock. He had taken the brunt of a blow designed for a group, and was extremely weak to it on top of that. But it still seemed ready to fight as I shot an Ice Beam at it, since the Toxicroak dodged it and came right for me. I pivoted my body, spinning and sliding underneath the frog's right side as I parried his Poison Jab with my Iron Tail, putting him off balance right in time for me to hit him with a Quick Attack before I dug underground. I had to be careful around the Toxicroak. His Fighting-type moves would hurt me quite a bit, and I didn't want to risk taking any combos.

But I honestly had nothing else to me except for a hit-and-run tactic. I couldn't try much else without risk. Fortunately, it seemed to be working, as long as I could confuse the Toxicroak enough with my erratic Dig patterns. It seemed visibly annoyed as it shook off an Icy Wind, leaping in the air at me. I Dug back underground, feeling the ground take an impact where I just was before I emerged from that same spot, hitting the Toxicroak from beneath. It snarled, immediately trying to hit me with a Brick Break. I was not fast enough, and engaged my Iron Tail to block the blow as I tried to Dig out of the way, but the frog twisted his body mid-strike, changing direction and smashing me in the side. It hurt badly, and I failed to suppress a groan as I managed to get back underground. Not one to be deterred, the Toxicroak began razing the ground, trying to dig me up before I could get away, and at this pace, it was going to be hard to with that hit I had sustained.

* * *

The Scizor was currently engaged in a 2v1, but it did have a type advantage over all four of us, so regardless of who fought it, we knew we had to put two against it.

He was getting rather annoyed trying to find the real one from Crystal's Double-Team, and her being a Ghost-type surely didn't make it easier. A Silver Wind dissipated several of the copies that were in front of him, before he paused, spinning and lashing out with a Metal Claw behind him to shatter an Ice Ball aimed for his back. Now facing the real Froslass, the Scizor smirked, until he found himself frozen in place, courtesy of Ria's Psychic, and promptly took a second Ice Ball to the face. He grunted as the Psychic hold on him was released, splitting off into his own Double Team. "Well, Ria. Looks like you're not going to make this easy for us."

The Espeon split off into her own group of Double Team clones and stared down the Scizor. "I don't want to go back, Slade. You don't see what is wrong with what we did every day."

Each Scizor clone charged up a ball of light in their claws. "Eliminating the weak isn't evil, we're helping out by getting rid of those who aren't strong enough to live." They all fired a gray beam of light at each Espeon clone.

In the blink of an eye, Crystal's Double Teams all fired Shadow Balls to meet each Flash Cannon, causing several explosions and canceling each other's attacks out. Ria and her Double Teams fired a second volley of Shadow Balls, dissipating Slade's copies and sending the real one tumbling back. "And there you are wrong. They will survive on their own. It is the nature of life that lets them. If they die, so be it, but you would never know that they could live, if you just killed them." With that, Ria dissipated her own copies and started glowing, before launching several glowing spheres at the downed Scizor, the Hidden Power imbued with Ria's intrinsic Fire element.

Crystal smirked, impressed with Ria's statement but at the same time expecting it. She faded out of view.

* * *

If I could have been watching, the fight between Hunter and the Zangoose was quite a spectacle. Having quickly recovered from the ambush, the Zangoose was engaged in a long but intense bout with the zealous Weavile as they clashed blades at a frenetic pace. Hunter ducked under a Slash as he pivoted, spinning abck into it with his own Night Slash, which the Zangoose blocked in a cross parry before forcing his two claws against Hunter's one and pushing him back before lunging in to strike. Hunter withdrew his own blade and used the Zangoose's momentum of the shove to plant his foot in the ground and vault over the Zangoose, lashing out with his claws and managing to catch the Cat Ferret Pokemon on the shoulder. It gasped, clutching its now-bleeding shoulder for a half-second before twisting around, countering an attack Hunter had attempted from behind.

Hunter did a quick backflip to gain some distance, as well as to take a rest. "Are you sure you want to continue this, mate? I have no quarrel with you, save for the fact that you're trying to take Ria away."

The Zangoose panted as he kept his paw on the wound, taking advantage of his opponent's query to get a breather. Their fighting pace was surprisingly high. "What's it… to you?" he asked between heavy breaths. "I'm only doing… what I need… to do. Ria… is a part of… our team. I'm not… letting her just leave… without…" He stared into the distance as he trailed off.

Hunter cocked his head. "Hmm?"

The Zangoose shook his head. "…Again, what's it to you?" As Hunter considered this, the Zangoose got up, the blood matted against his shoulder. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes. A few moments later, his eyes shot open as he dashed at an incredible speed at the Weavile.

* * *

This was not going to work. I couldn't escape the Toxicroak forever. I turned around in the tunnel I was making. Sure enough, a few seconds later, he showed up, but was momentarily surprised to see me waiting for him, and I took full advantage of that by creating a Blizzard right in the tunnel. The Toxicroak raised his arms to help defend himself as I burst out of the ground.

I was taking a breather when the ground ruptured right beneath my feet. He knew Dig, too?! I let out a small yelp of surprise as I turned in midair, only to be greeted with the Toxicroak trying to smash me with a Brick Break. I twisted my body, smacking his upper arm with an Iron Tail, sending his lower arm and the Brick Break at a bad angle so it missed me. The Toxicroak grunted, clutching his arm as he hopped back and fired a Gunk Shot at me. I smiled, activating my Mirror Coat and sending right back at the shocked frog. He fired another Gunk Shot to meet the first, causing an explosion of noxious fumes and smoke. Luckily, I retreated fast enough to clear myself from the poison, but I was not expecting the Toxicroak to head at me as fast as he could. I couldn't see him through the gas, and didn't react fast enough as I was hit, getting sent flying.

The Toxicroak smirked as he approached me. It hurt so much that it was hard to get up, or even move, but the frog seemed confident to have downed me that he approached without much caution. That proved to be his downfall. As he raised his arm to finish me with a Brick Break, I turned my head and spat an Ice Beam in his face, freezing him solid. I chuckled, but then groaned as my new injury to the stomach area pained. "Ugh…"

* * *

Slade let out a yell as the Fire-type Hidden Power struck him. He groaned, collapsing on the ground. "…and I suppose that… I'm not fit to live now? You just proved that…"

Ria shook her head. "As I said, that's not the way it goes. Being with our trainer has twisted your mind." She turned tail, preparing to head off. "You'd probably be best off finding a new home, like I did. But that's your choice, not mine." The Espeon walked away.

Slade thought about what Ria had said. "Zeke wouldn't say I'm not fit to live… but what use am I now?" But before he could think on that, he fell unconscious.

* * *

The Zangoose gasped. He could feel the claw on the front of his body and protruding behind him. He collapsed to the ground as Hunter withdrew his bloodied claw. "I told you it didn't have to come to this, mate. But you made it that way."

When the Zangoose had rushed him one last time, Hunter came to meet the Cat Ferret Pokemon, but shifted slightly and gored him with a Faint Attack as the Crush Claw missed. Zangoose groaned, clutching his stomach area to try and stop the bleeding. Hunter looked around nervously, not liking what he just did. "I didn't aim for any vital spots… I don't want to kill you. But I'm not letting Ria be taken away again." He held up a claw before the Zangoose could speak. "I know, I know… 'what's it to you'. Ria expressed her wish to leave your trainer. She broke her Pokeball, yes? Therefore she's now a wild Pokemon. We here on the mountain respect the rights of the others, so long as it's mutual. I'm not letting someone else violate those rights."

The Zangoose shook his head. "I only… wanted to keep… her safe. It's the best… I could do… with our trainer… the way he is. But I couldn't… just let her go… because then I'd be alone…" Hunter raised his eyebrows. "She's the… only one I… trusted…" The Weavile gasped as the Zangoose slipped out of consciousness.

"ZEKE!" Ria appeared over a snowdrift, bounding over at a very quick pace. "Hunter, what did you do?!"

Hunter dropped his gaze. "I did what I had to do… He'll live." As Ria looked over the Zangoose, Hunter took a few steps back. "Ria... he said that you were the only one he trusted. What does that mean?"

Ria froze. "…Did he really say that…?" Hunter nodded. "Then I was wrong… they weren't all bad… I knew Bolt thought Slade was the only one that was safe to be with. I thought Bolt was decent… and Zeke thought the same about me? Oh…" She paused for a moment before speaking again. Her voice grew hard. "It must be that we all acted that way since we never trusted anyone else, especially with our trainer constantly watching us. It's all his fault. Him and that Toxicroak, his first Pokemon. That frog enjoyed killing others. It sickens me to see scum like them in the world." Her eyes widened. "_Gale."_

* * *

The human was stunned. His Pokemon were losing? How? He had trained them so hard… why were they so weak? They were so useless… it was supposed to be simple, just getting Ria back. Now it looked like things were going to be much more difficult.

He was snapped out of his train of thought by a gust of cold, biting wind. Looking up, he encountered a frightening sight. A Froslass floated in front of him, grinning maliciously. "_Hello there, human."_

* * *

Ria and Hunter dashed across the flats as fast as they could. Ria remembered the sight of the initial fight before it had broken off into separate clashes. Hunter knew that Gale had followed the Toxicroak after it had been hit by Ria's Psyshock…

And they were both right, as they were greeted with the frozen statue of the Toxicroak. Ria giggled. Gale had won! It was great to see him of all people defeat that bastard of a Pokemon. "Hunter, this is Frey." She smashed the ice to shards with a Zen Headbutt, shattering the frozen Toxicroak into pieces as well. "Correction, this _was_ Frey."

Hunter shook his head. "You're enjoying this too much. You don't want to turn into them again, right?"

Ria shrugged. "He's the evil one. I'm glad that Gale finally rid the world of him. But I wonder… where did he human get off to?"

Crystal faded into view right next to Ria. "Oh, I'm afraid that he's a bit… indisposed right now," she said sweetly, grinning. "If you really want to know, he's enjoying what little life… or rather, afterlife… he has left, frozen in an ice slab before I feed his soul to the Chandelure." The grin faded as she looked around. "Where's Gale?"

A moment of hurried silence followed. Hunter found a trail in the snow. They weren't tracks, more like smear marks from someone dragging along the ground. Following them the group came to spot…

Me. I was lying on the snow. I weakly raised my head as I saw them approach. "You did it, guys. Great job…"

The last thing I saw was Ria, Crystal, and Hunter rushing over to look at me. And then the world went black.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

A lone figure opened his eyes. "Oh…" he moaned. Shifting around, he tried lifting his head.

'_Where am I?'_

That question was answered as he looked around in what little capacity he could. He felt that several bones in his body were broken. The pain was numbed by the snow he was lying in. The mountain…

'_What happened?'_

That question was answered as he closed his eyes again, sifting through his memories. Oh, yes… That was quite something. He opened his eyes and looked at his environment again. He was lucky to be alive.

'_What now?'_

This, he did not know the answer to. He couldn't move, for some of the bones in his legs were broken as well. There was not much he could do. After thinking for several minutes, it was to no avail. Nothing came to mind that would help him out here, so he chose to go back to sleep.

And so he slept, this time under his own power, not because he had fallen off of a cliff.

* * *

Well. That was lengthy. I should have seen it coming, seeing as this was a bigger battle scene. Whatever. I'm sure you enjoy me writing more. Reviews, please! Hope you liked this chapter. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in your review that I know you'll post, or you can PM me. Or both, whatever floats your boat. See you all next time!


	8. Blind Hope

I did say it wouldn't be long. Last week was the production week of the musical, meaning my usual writing times (Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday evening) were busy. That's not to say that it wouldn't be the same next week either. No, I have my time again, so I should be back on schedule if nothing goes wrong.

So, reviews.

Daviddavidson, I find it creepy how you touched on precisely what I was going to write this chapter (and partially the next one). If you have some sort of mind-reading device, I'm sure most of the governments in the world would pay you a sizable amount for that. :P Thank you for the compliment, trherring. :) Funnyach, I'll explain that as well soon enough, probably in the next chapter, and yes, it was at the same time, not in the past. Just keep reading. ;) Not to worry tinyRyan117, the chapters shouldn't take overly long, as I've planned pretty much all of it already. :) Reader000x151, I've responded to your multiple reviews via PM.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Blind Hope**

* * *

I was aware of voices around me, but I could not see the source of them. And yet, I already knew who they were. Sure, they were the last thing I had seen, but the voices… I could tell just from them.

And because of those same voices, I knew I must really be in some deep shit.

"GALE!"

"It's okay, mate. You'll pull through."

"What happened to him?"

"HOW WOULD I KNOW THAT? BUT HOW DO WE HELP?"

"Hmm…"

"Calm down, sweetie. I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed."

"_AND WHAT IF WE CAN'T?"_

"…"

"Then we improvise."

"Jeez, Hunter, what are you doing anyway?"

"...this isn't good."

"Well, what is it?"

"DAMMIT HUNTER, TELL US!"

"Sheesh, no need to yell, mate. But Gale was battling the Toxicroak, yes?"

"Yes…"

"What would that have to do with-"

"Gale's been badly poisoned. We have to heal him, and fast. I don't know how much longer he has."

"!"

"…"

That was all that I needed to hear, and although it did explain a lot, I didn't want to hear it. I fell unconscious again. It may have been from the shock of hearing that news, but it's probably just that my body couldn't keep myself awake while trying to fight off the toxins in my body.

* * *

Ria hadn't moved from her spot right next to me ever since she heard the news that Hunter had just provided. Crystal was pacing about, trying to think, as Hunter did the same. The Weavile posed a thought. "The Pecha berries are probably too far away from here, huh?"

Crystal shook her head. "My place is very high up on the mountain. I don't know how we can reach the lower forest fast enough with Gale, or down and back up without him."

Ria spoke up, to the small surprise of the other two. "I'm not letting him die."

Crystal moved over to her sympathetically. "None of us want him to, but the question is how?"

The Espeon didn't even glance at her as she sighed, still in the same spot. "You guys live on the mountain. Isn't there like some religious god you all pray to? What hope is there?"

Hunter shrugged. "Us Weavile never really bothered much with religion, although I suppose the closest god I've heard of is Articuno, the legendary bird of ice. If anyone's at the peak, it'll probably be her. I doubt Arceus would live on this mountain."

Ria paused. "I heard that Arceus made a temple on the summit of Mt. Coronet."

"But unfortunately, this isn't Mt. Coronet."

Crystal paused for a moment. "As much as I'd like to refrain from being smited, we don't need Arceus here, simply any being that has healing powers. Even some nonlegendaries have that power. This is just a poisoning that may or may not be lethal."

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "It will be if left untreated."

Ria's tail flicked back and forth as she thought in the silence that followed. "Hunter. You said that there was a chance Articuno might live at the peak of this mountain." The Weavile nodded in confirmation, so Ria continued. "This mountain is certainly qualified for the home of an Ice-type legendary. Even if it's someone like Regice, anyone of power like that would still be able to help. It's worth a shot."

Crystal nodded. "Well, there _have_ been rumors of strange things happening up on the peak. It's why only the daredevils or the desperate venture there."

"I believe we qualify as desperate."

Nobody argued about that.

* * *

Hunter, despite being unable to hover like Crystal could, was still the best suited for leading the way up the mountain, as he had a much better knack for circumventing natural dangers than the other two. As this was the case, he was the one in the lead as the three ventured skyward. Ria and Crystal followed behind, using their combined Psychic to levitate Gale's unconscious form alongside them. It also gave them time to talk as they followed Hunter.

Crystal turned to Ria as they continued higher up. "So, Ria… what did you think of your ex-teammates? It certainly seemed like you enjoyed finishing off that Toxicroak back there…"

The Espeon sighed, almost looking down in shame before remembering she needed to concentrate on their path, while all the Froslass had to do was phase out of the physical plane momentarily, being a Ghost-type. "You missed it… it happened right before Hunter and I rushed off to find Gale and Frey. We had a talk, and I believe I should share it with you as well." Crystal nodded, prompting her to go on. "To be honest, Bolt was the only one who I thought wasn't simply a deranged Pokemon who liked doing the horrendous activities our trainer did. He actually seemed like he cared about the welfare of the rest of us, even if our trainer didn't. But when I caught up to Hunter, he had just finished his fight with Zeke, the Zangoose. Sure, he was our enemy, but that was when I learned the truth."

Crystal raised an eyebrow. "Something you didn't know about your team?"

Ria nodded. "Well, I thought Bolt was the only one I could trust. Apparently, Zeke had told Hunter that he was fighting because I was the only one _he_ could trust, and that by running off, I had left him alone."

Crystal had opened her mouth to say something then decided against it. After a short pause, she posed a thought. "And you thought the same of Bolt."

"Precisely."

"What of Bolt himself? What did he think of you?"

Ria sighed. "I suppose you weren't around when we fought him. Before he died, it was clear that he did not trust me, and he had said that I was an inconvenience to him because I had run off." She snorted. "I suppose I must have been an inconvenience to him when I was the cause of his death. I feel bad it had to be that way, since I could clearly see that he cared about us, even if it was what you could call 'tough love'." She paused. "The only one that I saw _him_ comfortable about was Slade, the Scizor. I guess Bolt thought Slade was trustworthy. Might as well go full circle and suggest Slade though Zeke was the only one who he could rely on."

Crystal nodded. "Well, it certainly is a possibility. But that's a shame… how did none of you realize this?"

Ria sighed again. "We were all so paranoid that it was only out of a mutual relation via our trainer that kept us working together. Nobody tried talking to one another when we were outside of our Pokeballs, for fear we would be ridiculed in response for thinking such things, and for fear of what our trainer would do if he saw that we were not following his orders. If only we had known we were all thinking along the same lines… I suppose it was simply the corruption from the trainer that made everything the way it was back then."

"But you're a Psychic, aren't you? Couldn't you have simply read their minds?"

Ria nodded. "I did. At least, I tried. Zeke and Slade seemed just about as mentally shut up from our situation as I was, so it was only logical that their mental shields were too strong for me at that point. Frey didn't harbor secret thoughts though, so he was comfortable with our trainer, even liking what atrocities we were doing. So I could read his mind, but all it was filled with was negativity, nothing of interest. Just like our trainer."

Crystal tilted her head. "If you were able to read your trainer's mind, couldn't you have crushed it as well?"

Ria shook her head. "No. You're a wild Pokemon, so you wouldn't know that Pokeballs make us belong to them, in more than one sense. Being captured means that you can't hurt your master. Otherwise, Arceus knows how many unruly Pokemon would have killed their trainers."

The Froslass smirked wistfully. "Good foresight on their part."

"Well yes, otherwise we'd have simply run away in the first place. But the humans took precautions. Just as we were not able to attack our trainer, it's also a fact that if we stray too far from our Pokeballs, we're automatically recalled. Granted, it's a large range, but it's not enough to run away forever. That's why I broke it when I got the chance."

"Hey girls, if you two could stop talking for a moment, maybe you could give me a hand here."

Both the Espeon and the Froslass looked up when they heard Hunter's voice, and noticed that their environment had changed. Apaprently, being a Psychic type let Ria intuitively follow Hunter subconsciously. Crystal could simply float and phase out, so she only had to stay with Ria. But now that they had followed Hunter for quite a ways, they saw the difference. Or rather, they couldn't see it, because they were now in a thick mist. The Weavile was standing on a ledge just ahead of them. "Are we up in the clouds, then?" asked Crystal.

Hunter shrugged. "Possibly, but I'm not sure. Pokemon can learn Mist… and incidentally, so can Articuno."

Ria blinked, placing Gale gently on the ground to take a quick break, allowing her Psychic hold on Gale to end. Crystal did the same after noticing what Ria did. "So, what do you need?"

Hunter sighed, not liking admitting weakness. "I can't see up ahead very well. Seeing as I'm standing next to a small ledge, I don't want anyone to plunge down the mountainside, especially since neither of you can use Psychic on me and I'm going ahead of you all."

Ria nodded. "I hope this can help, then." She formed a very bright ball in front of her, which flew up and into the air close by. The rays of the Sunny Day penetrated deeper into the mist, allowing Hunter to make out a sizable distance away. "Better?"

The Weavile gave a curt nod. "Thanks."

Crystal picked up Gale again, and Ria added her own Psychic to help out, as before. With the ball of light hovering slightly above them, the visibility was bearable, even if the mist was still very thick. As such, they continued their climb up the mountain, but their progress was soon halted again.

Hunter sighed. "I really hate mountains." There was a very tall sheer rock face in front of them, and it looked like the path continued from on top of the cliff, more than forty feet up. "This may seem odd, but Crystal, could you freeze that wall? I don't want to slip on that stone, and digging into ice is a lot easier."

The Froslass nodded, generating an Ice Beam from between her palms and creating a coat of ice over the rock. However, as soon as it was complete, it started… melting. "Hmm…" She looked around, quickly spotting the problem. "Oh dear… Ria, we'll have to get rid of that sunlight."

As the Espeon dissipated the ball of light in the air, the ice froze over, but the mist rushed in once again, and they could no longer see the top. This did not dissuade Ria. "We can manage. Hunter, you can climb up there without seeing?"

The Weavile nodded. "We just saw it earlier, and there's nothing really in the way. Although, I suppose if we didn't have the light, it may have seemed like a dead end."

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "You're right… interesting. You know, I think we're almost there." She flew up into the mist, disappearing from sight and taking Gale with her. Reluctantly, Ria let her Psychic grip on the Glaceon fade.

Hunter turned to Ria. "I'll stay with you until she gets back." The Espeon nodded.

A short while later, the ghost appeared again. "He's at the top now. Hunter, you can go, I'll take Ria."

The Weavile nodded, brandishing his claws as he leaped at the wall, digging into it as he began to scale it like a human would with picks. Crystal turned to Ria, eyes glowing as she levitated Ria with Psychic. It felt weird to the Espeon to experience being manipulated by her own element, but they caught up to Hunter as they reached the top of the cliff, where Crystal let go of Ria. The group peered over the edge, and sure enough, they could not see them bottom. "Well, it looks like whatever's hiding up here in this mountain isn't very fond of visitors, eh?"

Crystal simply smirked as Ria went over to check on Gale. "He's still got a pulse, but his breathing is ragged. If we're at the top, we should have enough time. I just hope that we're right about Articuno…"

A gentle laugh could be heard from somewhere. Hunter whirled around. "What…?" All that he could see in the mist was what lay ahead of them since traversing the cliff. It was a set of actual stone stairs, carved into the ground itself. "Okay, this is weird…" That last statement validated itself as lights started glowing from within the mist ahead. The assembled group carefully climbed them, preparing themselves for whoever, or whatever, could lie ahead.

That gentle laugh was heard once again, except much clearer. Especially since they also heard it in their own heads. And was followed by a voice. "_I'm sorry to say this, but if you were expecting Articuno here, you're wrong."_

* * *

Buildup chapter, yes. Background chapter, partially. Cliffhanger? Sorry, I couldn't help but make the pun. Regardless, let me know what you think about Ria's history. I promised I would write about Crystal too, but that's coming later, so you'll have to wait for that. So… reviews, please! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you all next time!


	9. The Mistress of the Mountain

So! This is the chapter where I will be revealing our mystery Pokemon, which I'm sure the clues I left made your heads spin. No worries, we'll just have to get right into it, yes? No. Reviews first.

Thank you for the compliments, SpartanLemons, trherring, Avain26, and tinyRyan117! I had sent Squidchan a reply via PM, but I should let everyone know. These names are the actual names of the Pokemon, not nicknames. In this instance, our trainer, whom I haven't bothered giving a name to nor dialogue for, didn't really care about his Pokemon beyond their use to him, so he never gave them nicknames. Aside from that, this warrants further thought on my part for possible future fanfictions involving humans. Secondly, the more than four moves is intentional. I think it's retarded that they can only learn four moves. Oh, you learned a new move? My brain can't hold all the information! Pfft. Funnyach, who said it had to be Ice-type? ;) I'm sure you'll be happy with this chapter, as you will have your answer. I'm not _that_ cruel. Thanks for the compliments. WinterSkyline, they were simply much closer to the peak than to the bottom. ShinyEsp, it's rather simple about what happened between Hunter and Gale. I thought I had explained it in an earlier chapter, but it's no big deal. Read this chapter, and you'll find out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

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**Chapter 9: The Mistress of the Mountain**

* * *

Ria froze. Not literally, thankfully. But things were getting really creepy. Not only was she unable to see through the fog, but she couldn't find the source of the telepathic voice! And she was a Psychic-type, too… but she tried her best not to let this all get to her. With a nervous nod from Crystal, Ria took a couple steps forward. "If you aren't Articuno, then…"

Naturally, this was said out loud. If Ria could not detect the Pokemon, she could not telepathically respond. It didn't really matter at this point, as the glowing light became quite bright startlingly close to them, and yet it did nothing to dispel the mist, rather, casting Ria and the others' shadows longer, and making everything look even more mysterious. "_Then who would I be? It should not have concerned you who I am, but rather, if anyone was here at all_," the voice responded patronizingly.

Ria bowed her head. "Forgive me, but it only seemed logical. We needed a focal point to help us keep going, to think that someone was waiting for us. It was easier to think of a specific Pokemon than just blind hope."

The mist shifted around. "_Blind hope is all that one should need, Ria." _The Espeon started at her name being called out. "_You had Gale to motivate you. Wouldn't that have been enough?"_

Crystal's jaw hung open, and Ria simply stood there for several moments, but recovered. "You know our names? I'm not even from this mountain!"

The lights all dimmed slightly. "_Forgive me, but I inspected your minds the moment you entered the mist. I had to be sure of your intent. The names just came along with it."_

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you read our minds?"

"_No, not yours, Hunter. You are a Dark-type, and I a Psychic. We require Miracle Eye to do so, and I admit I do not know it."_ Before the Weavile could speak up about his own name, the voice cut him off. "_Before you ask, I know your name from the minds of your friends. Nothing omnipotent, I assure you, although some may disagree… but I digress."_ The mist started swirling around a point close by, in front of the group, where a light seemed to project an indeterminable shadow, for the first time since they reached the small crater. "_You came for help, yes?"_

Ria nodded, looking sympathetically over at Gale. "Yes. Gale has been poisoned, and we fear he has passed the point of mere Pecha berries." She didn't mention the fact that the peak was much closer anyway, but this voice probably knew that too.

Each and every single light in the mist died. The faint sunlight was the only thing granting vision in the crater, even less so due to the mist's presence. "_What makes you think you deserve it?"_

The three of them fell silent. Anxious looks were exchanged. It was a difficult thing, really. Did they deserve it? They had likely just killed three Pokemon, plus a human. Not to mention Ria's memory of Bolt falling off of the cliff to his doom. Ria sighed, turning back to the source of the voice, or at least, where she thought it was. "We don't deserve it. We have nothing the merit save for the fact that my companions have helped defeat my old trainer, whom I… ran away from because he treated me and my teammates badly. Even so, that merit stems from the fact that I was following what I believed, and only that. I suppose that means I am no better than them…"

There was no response, but a silence that made it feel like they were being watched. Well, they were, but that was beside the point. Hunter looked at the other two nervously. Ria had resigned herself for her actions, while Crystal was lost in thought. He cleared his throat. "I suppose that we don't deserve it, so much as we hope that you'll help us out, for Gale's sake at least."

"_What makes you think that _he _deserves it?"_

Hunter froze. Not only was this being one of a mystical power, but also one of dire logic as well. It would be hard to explain why he wanted to help Gale. It would be easy to say it was because they were friends, but then again, why were they? "Well, I suppose that I haven't helped things that much. After all, I attacked him immediately when I caught him trespassing." Crystal looked at Hunter with a raised eyebrow. Ria simply sat on the ground, gazing at Gale. "I found out that it was just a misunderstanding, but I think that the reason he's different is that he forgave me. Most others wouldn't bother."

"_And?"_ the voice prompted.

Crystal interrupted Hunter before the Weavile could speak. "And it's because of his forgiving nature that it's imperative we return the favor for giving us second chances, that we may give him one as well. I have my own past, and I regret it too, but Gale didn't hold it against me. At least, I don't think he does."

"_He does not."_

Crystal raised an eyebrow, relieved that it was true and at the same time intrigued by how one could browse the mind of an unconscious Pokemon, but then shrugged it off. "So Gale is a good Mon to be around. He's a positive influence to the mountain's residents, right? So we need to take care of him when he's the one who needs help."

A glowing light came back to life, but only the one in front of them, perhaps the source of the voice. "_Very good. I expected no less from you all. Even in the face of an unknown power, you did not change your state of mind or your attitude. True friends will not back down in the face of danger, sticking by each other through thick and thin. You did not know it earlier, but recent events helped bring it about."_ The light pulsed once, and the mist retracted from the crater's edge. It kept condensing, leaving only the sphere of light in front of them cloaked in the thickest mist of all as the rest of their surroundings were revealed. "_I am the Mistress of the Mountain. I keep this place safe."_ The light pulsed once more, and the mist retracted into a small sphere, revealing the mysterious Pokemon.

What the mist revealed was a quite beautiful Pokemon, dragon-like in form. Her wings were crimson red, reminiscent of jet planes, and this color extended up to her torso, which did not seem to have any legs, but rather two fins close by her rear. A blue hollow triangle marking was on the front of her chest, which turned to a lovely ivory white. Her arms were slim, with red hands and three white claws on each hand. Interestingly enough, they looked like they could be retracted. There was another marking on her face similar to the one on her chest, albeit red. She had brilliantly golden eyes, and a warm smile that made the three of them feel not simply at ease, but also welcome.

She smiled. "_My name is Latias. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all."_

It took Ria a couple of seconds to register who they were talking to, before she bowed. "It's my honor as well." Hunter and Crystal smiled back.

Latias tilted her head, regarding the group. "_So, Gale. He is badly poisoned, yes?"_ Ria nodded. "_I can take care of that. Are you all still injured from the fight you were in earlier?"_

Hunter let out a deep breath, still quite captivated by the Dragon-type. "You could say that. We're not as bad off as Gale, but it'd be safe to say we're pretty tired."

Latias smiled. "_That's alright. One moment, I'll tend to Gale first."_ She flew over to the Glaceon who was lying on the ground. "_Hmm. This will be simple enough."_ Her body flashed white, and surprisingly, Gale's started glowing as well. However, his body seemed to be glowing a dark purple. To the shock of Ria, Hunter, and Crystal, the colors leapt from the two bodies and into the air, pouring into the other's body, Latias absorbing the purple light and Gale absorbing the white. Latias cringed, her face turning faintly blue as the glow died down. "Ugh… I hate that feeling. Being poisoned never feels good." She closed her eyes again, glowing rainbow this time, and when that died down, she looked a lot, better, like when she first revealed herself. Latias turned to Gale, which prompted the others to do the same.

He was sleeping peacefully. Crystal's and Hunter's jaws dropped, while Ria raised an eyebrow. "How did you do that?" the Froslass inquired.

The dragon didn't seem to hear the question, as she was levitating over Gale and holding a hand to his neck. "_His pulse seems fine. The poison is completely out of his system." _She cringed again. "_Although it did go straight from his to mine. The first technique was called Psycho Shift. It can transfer status ailments from one to another. I cured it with my own Refresh."_

Ria's eyes brightened. "Oh, I've heard of that! I just haven't seen it before."

Latias shook her head. "_Not many can learn it. It's a rather advanced Psychic-type move, which I'm sorry to say that Espeons don't learn it either. But I still have you all to tend to. Hold still."_

They did so, and Latias glowed once more, a pink pulse rippling off her body and washing over all four of the visiting Pokemon. The Heal Pulse rejuvenated their bodies, and Ria could immediately feel herself regaining her energy. Hunter, on the other hand, was still quite sore. "Uh, Latias. Not to be rude or anything, but I don't think-"

He was cut off by the Dragon-type. "_Oh, I already knew," _she said sweetly. "_Just be patient."_ She generated two gray balls of light, one in each hand. One flew over to Gale and lowered itself into the Glaceon's chest, pulsing as it was absorbed. The other did the same to Hunter, who flinched as the ball approached, but kept still when given a patronizing look from Latias. When it entered him, he still didn't feel anything. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Latias spoke up again. "_You won't feel the effects instantly. Wish works over time."_

Hunter paused for a moment. "Oh." Crystal giggled at the Weavile's awkwardness.

Latias looked over the group, slight concern now showing on her face. "_You realize that you are not done yet."_

Ria raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Latias paused, her eyes glancing away for a moment. "_Your trainer is no more. That means you and your former teammates are wild Pokemon now."_

Ria nodded, then did a double-take. "My teammates? But aren't they-"

"_Dead? Then what is Crystal?"_

The three of them paused, looking nervously at each other. Crystal turned to Latias. "I'm a Froslass. What do you mean?"

Latias shook her head. "_You are a Ghost-type. Not all who die pass on into the otherworld. Those that stay return as Ghosts, with two exceptions. Those who are already deemed unworthy of an afterlive in Arceus' light are sent straight to the Distortion World, and Aura users simply cannot take the form of a Ghost and are therefore judged immediately instead of living an unlife."_

Ria paused, unsure of what she was going to say, and what Latias's words meant. "So, what does that have to do with my teammates?" Seeing a derogatory look from Latias, the Espeon quickly amended her statement. "Not like that, I'm sure it applies, but I just don't understand what you mean."

Latias sighed. "_Okay, now we put it bluntly. Ria. Zeke and Slade are Ghosts now. Frey and your trainer are in the Distortion World."_

Ria blanched. "Oh." She paused for a moment. "Wait, what about Bolt?"

Latias tilted her head. "_What _about _Bolt?"_

"Is he a Ghost too?"

They all got nervous when Latias didn't respond. To be honest, the Eon Pokemon wasn't really so sure herself.

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

A lone figure was lying in the snow. He had just woken up again, although that time was the first that was not due to unconsciousness. That was a plus. But he still couldn't really move around, not for lack of trying. For some reason, he was feeling better than he was a few days ago.

A few days ago? Waitwaitwaitwaitholdonasecond. Yes, it was true, he had noted the sun rise and set a few times. No… more than just a few times. But _how_? Almost a week had passed, and he had not eaten anything. It didn't make any sense. Well, it didn't concern him so much as the fact that he was still alive, for which he was grateful. He just didn't understand.

But then he saw a flash from somewhere up on the mountain. 'What was that?' he thought to himself. It didn't really matter to him at the time, just something that was interesting, but it wouldn't really have an impact on him, so he didn't really care much.

Until he heard a soft rumbling much closer nearby. From his position on the ground, he could only turn his head so far, but that was all he needed. It was enough to send a chill of fear through him as he saw a blanket of white barreling down the cliff face. The side of the mountain that he happened to be below. He closed his eye, resigning himself to his fate, when, long before the snow would reach him, he heard a short flurry of noise on ground level before he felt a strong force hit him. There was one last thing he thought before blacking out yet again…

Whatever had hit him, it was definitely not snow.

* * *

No comments from me, I think I'll leave it to you to write your own. All I have to say was what I wrote. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all next time!


	10. A New Path

Okay, first of all, I am so sorry for the long wait. I've been swamped recently with schoolwork, and there's nothing I can really do about it, especially with AP exams coming up in less than a month. My writing time will be limited as well as unscheduled, so I don't really have a general guideline for how long each chapter might take.

So, reviews. Thanks for the compliments, tinyRyan117 and Avain26. Azureblueespeon, Uxie would be a good guess, but not the right one in this case. He doesn't have access to Mist or Mist Ball. Haddi, you'll find out this chapter. Funnyach, there's one little problem with that: Mist Ball is a Psychic-type move, and that can work the same way as Mist. :D Don't get me wrong here, but Latias is also nice and playful at times, it's just that her responsibility for the upper half of the mountain weighs that part of her down a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

**Chapter 10: A New Path**

* * *

There was only darkness. The lone figure couldn't see anything. It was like he was lost in a void, cut off from everything. And then a harsh voice cut through the silence like a butter knife.

"You're completely useless. Look how badly you failed. I don't remember what I ever saw in you."

The figure looked around for the source of the voice, but found none. It was all-too familiar, but he refused to believe that it was real.

"I thought you were better than that. Obviously, you're even worse than the trash that beat you."

The figure growled, but could do nothing.

"Good riddance, failure." And then all was quiet, leaving the figure alone in the darkness.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of talking close by, but it was all I could do to try and open my eyes. Interestingly enough, I didn't feel any pain, but I was still pretty tired. Last I remembered, I had been badly poisoned. At this point, I did manage to open my eyes and take a look around, and almost immediately, I was greeted with the sight of a very pretty red and white dragon of some sort, staring into my face.

She smiled. _"Hey guys, Gale's awake now."_

Instantly, I noticed Ria and the others bounding over. The Espeon nuzzled my neck and moved her head near my right ear. And then she yelled.

"GALE, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? YOU HAD ME WORRIED!"

I recoiled from the sharp increase in volume that my eardrums were taking. "Ow…"Crystal and Latias giggled while Hunter simply shook his head. "Ria, who's this?" I pointed with my tail to indicate the dragon.

Latias smiled again and did a curtsy, or at least what a levitating dragon could do. _"My name is Latias. I oversee this mountain's peak. Glad to meet you at last, Gale." _I nodded before attempting to get to my feet. Surprisingly enough, I managed to do so. Latias studied me curiously. _"Hmm. Quite the persistent one. You've got good stamina."_

Ria smiled wistfully. "Good thing, too. Perhaps we should share the details of what happened?" she asked Latias, who nodded.

* * *

_A while later…_

I let out a low whistle. "Well Ria, looks like things ended up pretty well, I suppose."

That's when Latias shook her head, and Hunter eyed the dragon. "What do you mean?"

Latias sighed, half-smiling. _"The thing is, it's not exactly over. Ria, you're no longer that trainer's Pokemon, but that doesn't automatically make you a resident of this mountain."_

The Espeon regarded her strangely. "Why not?"

Latias looked down nervously and paced about for a short moment. _"You know, I wish I could grant you the status, but that's not the way it works around here…"_

Crystal raised an eyebrow. "Then…?"

Latias looked at Crystal from over her neck, as she was still pacing. "You guys are all really nice people. I mean that from the bottom of my heart, especially considering I've actually been following your progress ever since you got here, Ria."

Ria tilted her head. "Now how did you manage that?"

Latias blushed. _"Well, I've been the protector of the mountain for quite a while now… eventually, the mountain became a part of me. My Psychic sense extended to the snow itself."_

Hunter paused, thinking for a moment. "That's how you knew that the Scizor and Zangoose turned into Ghosts?" Latias nodded.

I sighed. "Listen, you're beating around the bush, Latias. What's the matter with Ria?"

Latias looked around nervously. _"Um, well, you see…"_

Ria gestured for her to continue. "Well?"

The dragon looked down, avoiding eye contact with anyone else. _"I'm not the only guardian of this mountain… and I fear the other may not take as kindly to you as I have."_

* * *

_Elsewhere…_

Another figure awoke, far away from the other one that did so. Like the other, it took every bit of strength to open his eyes. It was agonizing and relieving at the same time, considering the nightmare he was going through. He was greeted, not by any sight, but by nothing at all.

For a few seconds. He still saw nothing, but heard a silken female voice near him, off to the side. "Oh, you are awake? I thought you would never wake up."

The one lying on the ground couldn't muster the strength to turn his head. So, in a raspy voice, he asked the presence nearby. "Who… are you? And where am I…?"

"Why would I give you my name? I do not even know who you are yet. As for the other question, this is my home."

The first Pokemon struggled to shift his position, but gave up out of fatigue. "What am I doing in your… home?"

"You do not remember? You were lying prone on the ground, when there was an avalanche. I could not simply let it overtake you."

The tired Pokemon had given up trying to adjust himself, and closed his eyes again to save energy. He did remember that event, now that the voice mentioned it. Was this other Pokemon the thing that had crashed into him at the very end before he blacked out? "Ugh… I see. So you just happened to be there?" He chuckled to himself before coughing in the process. "How convenient."

If he could have seen it, the second Pokemon shook her head. "Not at all. I was keeping you alive for the past several days, but you were in no position at all to move on your own. It is my fault for not considering the potential dangers of treating you where you were, although I also didn't want to aggravate your injuries."

The first one nodded, still laying on the ground. "Oh, okay." He stiffened. "Wait, what? Kept me alive?"

"You are a Manectric, yes? I have encountered your species a couple of times in the past. You have the ability Lightningrod, letting you absorb Electric attacks for your own energy. I happen to know Charge Beam."

That explained why he had no food or water, but had still seemed to be alive. That was perfectly alright with him, because he really didn't want to die just yet, given the new chance he apparently had now. "Then… could you please use it again? I can't really even move…"

"Oh, yes. I apologize, I should have thought of that earlier, but I was too interested in talking to you first."

The figure on the ground heard the instant power-up of an Electric attack before he felt it hit him. It didn't hurt, but it was actually increasing his energy. This typically wouldn't have healed his injuries, but he guessed that desperate bodies did desperate things. At any rate, he felt a bit stronger now. "Thanks…" This time, when he attempted to shift his body, he was successful, albeit a bit painful, and turned to find the source of the other voice, still laying on the ground. What he saw was the other Pokemon, sitting perched on a rock, and it took his breath away.

She was strikingly beautiful, with a fit and slender figure for a quadruped. She had almost white fur, although it seemed to be tinged a very light pink. Her claws and interestingly enough, blade-like tail, were red, and she had another blade of some sort coming out of the side of her head. Her face was red, but what caught his attention the most was the Pokemon's shockingly intense ice-blue eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul, but at the same time, were friendly and curious at the moment. The first Pokemon couldn't refrain from having his jaw go slack.

The second Pokemon tilted her head. "Yawning? You must still be tired from recovering."

The first Pokemon immediately took the opportunity to stifle his shock as what she had thought it to be, and finished the fake yawn. "Kinda." He grunted. "Though it hurts to move."

The second Pokemon nodded in agreement. "That would be because you fractured several bones in each of your legs. I set them when you were still unconscious, so you had those couple days for it to remain in place. It likely won't be fully healed for a while, unfortunately."

The first Pokemon raised his eyebrows. "So I'm going to be staying here, I take it?"

"Do you think you could leave even if you tried?"

He shuffled his legs, trying to stand up, but to no avail. He sweatdropped. "Guess not."

The second Pokemon smiled. "Then you have your answer." She hopped off the rock, moving much closer to get a better look at the injured Pokemon in his conscious state, making him nervous.

He nodded. "Got it." There was a short pause, and then he continued. "My name's Bolt…. But I haven't seen any species like you, and I'm a pretty well-traveled guy."

The second Pokemon gave a small smile. "I am an Absol. My kind are rare in general. Nice to meet you, Bolt. My name is Sera."

Bolt tilted his head. "Wait, Absol… I've heard of them, even if I haven't seen one myself… aren't they black and white?"

Sera nodded. "That's true, yes, although it seems my coloration is different than most others. I have heard of such things in other species as well. A human referred to me as a Shiny when he attempted to capture me, or something like that. I do not know why, since my fur does not shine."

Bolt paused. "Wait, you've met humans?" Sera nodded. "What happened to the one who tried to catch you?"

The Absol shrugged. "I defeated all six of his Pokemon, of course."

Bolt gawked. Wow. She's pretty and that strong? She seemed out of his league. At any rate, he didn't want to mess anything up, so he composed himself. "What Pokemon did he have?"

Sera paused as she looked upwards in thought. "I don't quite remember. But that's beside the point. I've avoided capture for a while, and humans don't really seem to come up here anyway. That's why I like this mountain."

Bolt nodded. "I see." He stopped, thinking about his own trainer. Humans… the ones they had battled didn't seem nearly as bad as his own trainer. Perhaps… Hmm. "…Sera, was it? I have something to tell you…" The Shiny Disaster Pokemon tilted her head, gesturing for the Manectric to continue. Bolt looked down, half-nervous and half-curious about telling someone who was essentially a complete stranger about his past life. "I belong to a trainer. He's honestly one of the biggest jerks I've known. One of his other Pokemon escaped here on the mountain, and he sent me out to go bring her back, but you can kinda see what happened there…" He tried moving his injured foreleg.

Sera didn't even so much as blink. "That would explain it. I have never seen a wild Manectric before; all of them were with trainers." She frowned. "I suspected as much, but the conditions were odd, to say the least, so that's why I didn't ask."

Bolt shrugged. "Though I was lying there for several days, if memory serves me right. Why didn't you move me again?"

"I couldn't move you without causing pain when you had two broken legs. It was best to set them where you were," she stated.

The Manectric looked blankly at her, remembering his own helplessness. "Oh, right…" He composed himself. "As I was saying, I was lying there for several days, so I don't really know where my trainer is at this point, or Ria, either."

Sera looked upwards in thought, trying to search her memory for a Pokemon with that name. She found none. "Ria? Who's that?"

"She's the Pokemon who my trainer sent me out to bring back, an Espeon, to be precise. Nobody on our team never really trusted one another, especially when we were all under the eyes of our trainer. I was still hanging on to the hope that there was some decency in him, that the cruelty was to help us get stronger by being strict." Bolt looked away, eyes staring into space. "I believe I was wrong. I had some time to think about it, there on the ground. I wasn't any stronger than any of the other Pokemon. It wasn't to help me out. It was likely just to control us." He sighed. "Ria was right, running off the way she did."

Sera sat back on her haunches while listening to Bolt rant about his trainer. It seemed like he had gone through a lot lately, physically, mentally, and morally as well. "Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters. What's done is done, but the question is, what's next?"

Bolt's eyes narrowed. "I have to find Ria."

Though this time, it was for a different purpose.

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No real comments here, just that our story will be wrapping up in a few chapters. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, with a shift on focus, a new character, a hint of the last unrevealed character, and some introspect with Bolt, whom you all correctly suspected when he woke up in the first place. ( It wasn't really that hard, who else fell off of a cliff? :P ) Again, I really apologize for the really long wait. Life sucks at times, we all know. It's my senior year of high school, but even though I'm already accepted to my top college choice with a huge scholarship doesn't mean I can blow everything off. Plus, tennis started up between the time I began this chapter and the time I finished it, so that's even less writing time. Ehh. Okay, I lied when I said no real comments here. Whatever. I hope to see you all again soon (and hopefully much sooner than last time)!


	11. Reunion

Hello, everyone. My long hiatus is over, and I've gotten back to writing. Very sorry about that, but schoolwork is a priority for me, especially as it's my last year of high school. Now I've graduated, still trying to get a job, and preparing to go to college orientation. But at least now, I have some time on my hands. You may have noticed I changed my name, don't worry about that. It's because I felt like it was too specific to Pokemon when I have ideas for other non-Pokemon fanfiction. But that's about it, and I know I've kept you all waiting a long time. I apologize again, and thank you for being patient with me, so without further ado, here we go.

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**Chapter 11: Reunion**

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We didn't stay for long at Latias' place. It seemed like even though she was giving us her undivided attention, there was things she still had to keep up with.

"So, he's down near the bottom of the mountain?" I asked, reconfirming the location of our next destination.

Latias nodded, smiling sadly as she looked off into the distance from up on the peak. It was still blurred by light fog, but you could still slightly see the outline of the entirety of the mountain. "Yes, I suppose so. I haven't met him face-to-face for a long time, but that's where he lives, in the deep forested area."

Ria nodded. "Alright, I've been there before, but I was in a rush back then. Is there anything we should look for? Like is he out in the open, or what?"

The dragon shook her head. "No, there's supposedly and underground cave in the area. Find that, and you'll find him. The entrance should be easy to find, but I can't really remember what it was like."

I shrugged. "That's alright, we'll manage."

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That was how it was. When we were back on the mountain, we began heading towards the forested area. Ria was leading the way, although none of our memories really served us well, since we hadn't been looking for a cave back then. Of course, that didn't mean we didn't try. Crystal was doing the best she could, her being a Ghost-type allowed her to reach places that the rest of us couldn't. Hunter was quite nimble even up in the trees, so he had a good vantage point when hopping from branch to branch.

But nothing was turning up, nothing at all. It was just mile after mile of seemingly endless forest bordered by the cliff side.

I sighed, continuing to trudge through the snow at a disappointing pace due to the length of time we had already spent searching. "'It was in the forest', she said. 'It will be easy', she said." Ria smacked me with her tail, giving me a dirty look. "Fine, fine…" I rolled my eyes back at her.

Due to this, neither of us were looking ahead, and we both smacked into the rock wall that was just ahead. Crystal giggled while Hunter suppressed a smile, crossing his arms as they both looked at us, now crumpled on the ground on top of each other. "You two are so cute when you argue like that," said the Froslass. I sighed at her and looked away, while Ria blushed as she got up. I tried looking to Hunter for him to help me out in the situation, only to find that he was tense as could be.

"None of you move or speak. There's something coming on the other side of the cliff face," he said, in a slow, hushed voice. It suddenly made me feel a bit scared if Hunter was that unnerved. Crystal's eyes were wide open as she hovered, unmoving, completely still save for her eyes darting about. Ria's eyes were narrowed, and I could tell she was trying to scan the environment with her Psychic abilities, but it didn't seem to me like she was getting anything. It seemed like a long time, especially in the dead silence. Even if Hunter said something was coming from around the corner of a rock wall, I didn't hear any footprints. I looked back to Hunter, and that's when I noticed his eyes were closed, and he was mouthing numbers, counting to himself.

And then it all happened. Hunter flung himself around the corner, lunging at the being who was indeed right there. It let out a shocked yelp, but then I saw Hunter fly back across the ground, a trail of crimson spots dotting the ground where he flew. Two figures suddenly appeared in front of us, but then they paused. I paused. Ria's jaw hung open.

"Is this who you were talking about?"

The voice was silken and smooth, definitely a female, and it came from the first being, who had some sort of blade on her head that I noticed with shock was coated in a sheen of blood. A drop fell off, and she narrowed her eyes, swiping it in the snow to clean it off. The second being nodded, stepping forward from out of the shade to stand alongside the first one. "Hello, Ria. Gale. It's been a while, I guess."

This couldn't be happening. I saw him fall from a cliff. No, he had to be dead. But he was right here! I heard a low growl, and I turned, slightly surprised to hear such a sound coming from Ria. "Bolt. What are you doing here? How are you alive?"

The first being, the one who had accompanied Bolt, and also apparently the one who had so easily dispatched Hunter, narrowed her eyes. "Calm yourself. There is no need to be rude to anyone."

Bolt, on the other hand, seemed pretty uneasy. "Coming from the one who gave the Weavile a serious gash. Don't worry about it." He then turned back to us, shaking his head. "I'm not here to fight you, I'd just like to talk for a while." He sweatdropped. "Although, we should probably get some help for the Weavile, there. Sera countered his attack before I even knew what was happening."

I tilted my head, looking at the white-furred Pokemon. "You're Sera?"

She nodded, now frowning slightly. "Yes. I apologize, that was probably not the best in terms of first impressions."

I eyed Bolt momentarily before returning my attention to her. "So, you met Bolt along the way, or what? And what kind of Pokemon are you? I've never seen something like you."

Sera gave a small smile, laying down in the snow. "I'm an Absol. We're quite rare to begin with, but apparently, I have a different coloring than nearly everyone else. Most have white fur, but with black hide, unlike my red."

Bolt shrugged, walking over to Hunter, who was now getting up with Crystal's help. Receiving a wary glance from the Weavile, Bolt helped the Froslass wrap his gash in the human medical wrap she always seemed to be carrying around out of nowhere. I didn't want to ask how she stored it, although it seemed her lower body had a hollow opening. I didn't want to even start on Ghost-type anatomy. The deed was done quickly, and Bolt laid down next to Sera, while Ria was glaring at him the whole time. Hunter sat down as well, eyeing the Manectric. "Okay, last time we met you, you were going to bring Ria back to your trainer, who apparently treats everyone like crap. Now you're like this. What's the deal?"

The Manectric snorted. "Well, now that we can finally get around to it…" He shot Sera a look, who stuck her tongue at him in a mocking fashion. "…I can finally explain myself."

Ria was laying down as well next to me, but her tone was still incredibly icy. "Good." That was all she said, but her glare did not waver. It hadn't ever since he arrived.

Bolt looked at his paws for a moment, before meeting the Espeon's glare directly, not looking away as he began. "I did fall off the cliff that day. I didn't wake up until a couple of days later. I didn't know it at the time. All I knew was that I was alive, I was stranded, and my body wouldn't move. It was a couple of days after that when the avalanche happened." He narrowed his eyes, frowning. "I saw a light coming from the top of the mountain, though. That was funny, but then I got hit by something before the snow did." He looked sideways at Sera. "It turned out to be her, since that was where I later woke up, in a cave." He smirked. "It's a good thing that she knows Charge Beam, otherwise I'd likely have died by wasting away." The frown returned. "But in all that time I was laying around, useless, I had plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to wait for my trainer to come looking for me. He never came."

Ria's eyes widened as her gaze finally faltered, looking in Bolt's direction but not quite at him. I knew exactly what she was thinking and tried to meet her eyes. She looked to me, a look of… something, maybe shock mixed with shame. I just silently and discreetly shook my head. No need to let him know what happened.

Luckily, Bolt didn't notice this. However, Sera did, but she chose not to do anything about it, just eyeing each of us curiously. The Manectric continued. "So I had time to think. In that time, I began to question what he had done. His choices, and about how he cared for us. I thought it was just another one of those 'tough love' things, but I realized that it was just him not caring. I could picture it, too. Either he'd just ignore me and wait for me to catch up with him, with Ria in tow, like he expected, or he'd actually notice and come looking for me. If he had tried to find me, it wouldn't be out of concern, but rather annoyance at my failure at the task he gave me."

Bolt paused, and I though back in my mind. It was surprisingly accurate, Bolt's guess of his trainer's actions. The boy did seem really annoyed, and threw his Pokemon around like, well, rocks.

Bolt shrugged. "So I decided to stop caring about him. If he doesn't care about me, he doesn't deserve my loyalty."

That was when Ria cut in. "Took you long enough." I looked at her. Bolt looked up at her as well. There wasn't any hint of anger or hate. Just a teasing smile. "I'm glad, though. It means we can be friends, right?"

Bolt returned the smile. "I'd never have though it possible while we were under his ownership, but this is the wild now, right?"

Sera couldn't help but smile either. "It's always nice when you can have peace over fighting."

Yes, I agreed with her. All this was unexpected, and nice, but it didn't help with what we were down here for to begin with. "So, it's all good. But, there's still a problem left."

Bolt and Sera both looked at me curiously. "What's that?" they asked at the same time. And so, Ria and I began telling of our journey to the top of the mountain, graciously leaving out the reason _why_ we had to go up there in the first place, because that would've involved telling the truth about his trainer. I'm sure Ria would tell him in time, but that was their business, not mine. Anyway, we told them about Latias, who was probably the cause of the lights he had seen before the avalanche. And then we told them of why we came down here.

The Manectric raised an eyebrow. "So there's actually some sort of rule to this area, then? If Latias is worried, then it worries me even more about what kind of power controls the whole mountain."

That was the point in which every single one of us was startled. Sera spoke up. "Oh, I know who she was talking about. It's Him, isn't it? The God of Ice."

None of us had any words for her. She looked blankly at us. "You never knew? Well, I mean those of us who lived here."

Crystal frowned. "In all my life and unlife on this mountain, I haven't ever heard of a god living here. Can you explain more?"

Sera shrugged. "There is not much to explain. He lives in the mountain itself, making sure it is all under control so that nothing catastrophic happens." Before Bolt speak up, the red Absol continued again. "Avalanches aren't catastrophic, I mean something like total ecosystem disruption."

I slowly nodded. "Okay… so…. That's good, you know about him. So, do you know where to find him?"

Sera frowned. "Oh, no. You don't find him. He finds you."

That was when I heard a large crack, and then the floor collapsed, sending us all tumbling into the abyss.

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Welp. I'll hope to have the next chapter up sometime this weekend, hopefully. Keep the reviews coming! Thank you for your continued support. See you all next time!


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